Opinion | When Everything Becomes AI, Who Is Really Benefiting?

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

By: Peter Bouwhuis

Walking through the halls of Posidonia 2026 in Athens, one word seemed impossible to escape. AI.

Every stand talked about it. Every presentation mentioned it. Every technology supplier appeared to have an AI solution ready to transform shipping. After a while, I found myself asking a simple question. If everyone suddenly has AI, what exactly are we buying?

The maritime industry has always been eager to improve efficiency. That is understandable. Shipping operates on tight margins, increasing regulations, and constant pressure to do more with less. Technology has become an essential tool for achieving that. But there is a difference between investing in innovation and paying extra for a new label attached to an old product.

That concern surfaced repeatedly at Posidonia this year. Several industry leaders raised an issue that deserves serious attention. Some technology providers may simply be repackaging existing automation, analytics, and reporting tools and presenting them as AI driven solutions.

Think about it for a moment. If a shipowner has been using a software platform for years and suddenly receives an upgraded version with an AI badge attached, has the underlying capability really changed? Or has the packaging changed while the product remains largely the same?

It reminds me of supermarkets that rebrand ordinary bottled water with a luxury label and suddenly charge twice the price. The water is still water. The label creates the perception of greater value.

The danger is not only financial.

When companies pay premium prices for technology they do not fully understand, disappointment usually follows. Worse still, decisions may begin to rely on systems that appear intelligent but are simply automating existing processes. In shipping, where safety, compliance, cargo planning, and vessel operations are involved, misunderstanding technology can have real consequences.

What struck me most during the discussions at Posidonia was that opinions differed on whether this problem is widespread. Some executives argued that shipowners are sophisticated buyers who can easily separate genuine innovation from marketing hype. They may be right.

Shipping companies are not known for making technology investments lightly. Procurement processes can be long, detailed, and demanding. Buyers often ask difficult questions and expect measurable returns.

Yet even experienced buyers can get caught up in trends.

We have seen this before. Years ago, everything became digital. Then everything became smart. Then everything became cloud-based. Today, everything seems to be AI.

The challenge is that AI has become such a broad term that it risks losing meaning altogether.

One supplier may be referring to advanced machine learning models that continuously improve through data analysis. Another may be talking about a simple rules-based automation process. Both products may carry the same AI label. To the buyer, distinguishing between them is not always easy.

What impressed me most during the debate was the repeated focus on data.

Again and again, industry experts returned to the same point. The success of any AI system depends entirely on the quality of the data feeding it.

This is not particularly exciting. Clean data does not attract headlines. Data governance is not a popular conference topic. Yet it may be the single most important factor in determining whether an AI project succeeds or fails.

Imagine asking a navigation system to guide a vessel using incomplete charts. No captain would accept that. Yet companies sometimes expect AI systems to generate accurate recommendations while feeding them incomplete, inconsistent, or outdated information.

That is not an AI problem. That is a data problem.

Several executives at Posidonia offered practical advice that I believe every shipping company should follow.

• Ask vendors what the system actually does.

• Ask how it creates value.

• Ask what type of AI is being used.

• Ask how decisions can be traced back to underlying data.

Most importantly, ask what happens if the AI component is removed. Does the product still solve a meaningful operational problem?

Those questions cut through marketing language remarkably quickly.

The reality is that shipping does not need AI for the sake of AI. It needs solutions that make vessels safer, operations more efficient, crews more productive, and businesses more profitable.

If an AI application achieves those goals, excellent.

If a traditional automation tool achieves the same result more effectively and at a lower cost, that is equally valuable.

Technology should be judged by outcomes, not by buzzwords.

As the maritime industry continues its digital transformation, there is nothing wrong with embracing AI. In fact, many genuinely innovative applications are already delivering measurable benefits across shipping, logistics, and maritime operations.

But enthusiasm should never replace scrutiny.

The most valuable lesson from Posidonia 2026 may not be about artificial intelligence at all. It may be a reminder that common sense remains one of the most powerful tools in business.

Before signing the next technology contract, perhaps every buyer should pause and ask one simple question.

Am I investing in intelligence, or am I paying extra for a label?

Sometimes the answer may be more revealing than any AI-generated report.