Tianjin Shipping Expo Highlights Growing AI Opportunities
KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 (Bernama) -- The Fourth Tianjin International Shipping Industry Expo (TISIE), which concluded in north China's Tianjin Municipality, showcased growing artificial intelligence (AI) opportunities in the shipping industry.
The four-day expo, which opened on June 2, covered fields such as green shipping, maritime equipment and logistics services, and aimed to promote global shipping cooperation, industry investment and trade exchange.
Themed "Shipping to the World and Navigating Towards the Future with AI Leading New Opportunities for the Development of Ports and Shipping", the expo was organised by Zhenwei International Exhibition Group, according to a statement.
Shanghai International Shipping Institute chief information officer, Xu Kai said that China has built the world's largest network of automated container terminals, with notable breakthroughs in unmanned shore cranes, intelligent guided vehicles and automated yards.
Xu said terminal equipment should be capable of dynamic optimisation based on factors such as vessel arrivals, weather changes and cargo flow fluctuations, requiring AI to evolve from command execution to autonomous reasoning and collaborative intelligence.
Meanwhile, Lloyd's List Intelligence chief executive officer, Waqas Samad said China plays a key role in the global shipping industry as the world's largest fleet owner, shipbuilder and producer of shipping containers.
He added that China represents the future of shipping through its combination of connectivity, technology and intelligence, beyond its scale and infrastructure advantages.
China Merchants Group Limited vice president, Feng Boming said AI is evolving from a decision-support tool into an intelligent agent capable of understanding intentions, invoking tools and executing tasks autonomously.
However, Feng cautioned that greater autonomy also brings greater security responsibilities, with new security risks and governance challenges emerging alongside AI adoption, posing fresh challenges to the industry's orderly development and safe operations.
-- BERNAMA