AI model highlights how marine industry can use Artificial Intelligence
In MIN‘s latest printed issue, keen readers will have noticed the advertisement for KVH Industries. It featured a male model on a boat wearing a baseball cap. He’s on his phone, gazing into the distance. But what MIN didn’t know when it accepted the artwork, was that the chap – pictured above – is AI generated. Marine industry AI just took another leap forward.
“We thought long and hard about using AI from a marketing perspective,” says Chris Watson
vice president, marketing & communications, KVH Industries (which develops, manufactures, and provides maritime communication hardware and services worldwide).
“Before we did so, we established detailed guardrails and protocols to ensure that we use it ethically and without infringing on other creators’ works.”
Using AI to create marine sector advertising images
The AI advertising image used in MIN is leisure marine focused, but Watson says KVH has developed images for maritime as well.
“Frankly, the maritime market has a stock photo problem. Walk around a major commercial maritime show and you’ll see the same images used again and again. This is because many organisations don’t have the time, resources, or access to do extensive onboard photoshoots of vessels and crews, meaning everyone relies on the same limited supply of good stock photos.
“We decided that AI offered an opportunity to create photorealistic images that would meet our specific needs for ads, for trade show backwalls, use in videos, and on our website. These would be unique to us and offer distinct visual stopping power in magazines and other uses.”
A few of the concepts KVH has developed are shown below (all images of seafarers, including main image above, are courtesy of (and copyright of ) 2024 KVH Industries).
“The AI creation of our images has been an internal effort. We have an outstanding designer on staff, Jude Kuma, who dove into AI, the available applications, and how to write the prompts that would generate the images that fit our needs. What’s important is that he’s bringing a designer’s eye to it, refining the prompts to achieve the camera and lighting style, backgrounds, clothing, and personal characteristics that fit our requirements,” explains Watson.
“Any image he creates is then reviewed extensively to avoid both those annoying AI missteps, like an extra finger or two, and also to validate that it is not based on someone else’s existing work.”
Watson notes that KVH loves conducting on-site photoshoots whenever possible with actual officers, crews, or in the case of the leisure market, models but says that sometimes it just isn’t feasible.
“As a result, I expect that we’ll continue to use AI, within the guardrails we’ve established, to create the artwork we need when necessary to help illustrate who and how KVH helps keep mariners always connected.”
The use of generative AI could potentially save companies thousands. With no model fee, no ‘sets’ including days at sea searching for the perfect moment, and no wasted time with human dynamics, the possibilities are endless.
Using AI as a teaching tool in marine world
So what else is AI being used for in the marine trade? And how well is the sector adapting?
“The marine industry isn’t as conservative to new tech as you might suggest,” says Jemma Lampkin, global business director at AkzoNobel Yacht Coatings. She says that covid disrupted people personally from a technology perspective. This meant all workforces had to adapt and adopt new practices. Now the company’s using its ‘expert eye’ a type of remote tech support via visual goggles as well as virtual reality training for paint application with real time feedback of how much paint is applied and – crucially – how well it’s done.
Harnessing data analysis with AI
More than that, in a recent employee survey of more than 30,000 people, AI was used to identify trends in employee sentiment and help extract insights. Lampkin rightly notes that’s an incredible time saver, but that there are ethical questions at play.
She has a team that is focused on making sure AI is used ethically and responsibly. There’s training on compliance and data use to protect employees.
Lampkin says leaders need to understand the tech themselves and then role model the right behaviours around that.
She spoke at Metstrade’s Women in the Marine Industry event alongside a panel tasked with digging into the practicalities of harnessing AI in its current forms. Some of their insights are presented below.
Predicting decision making with AI in the marine trade
As well as remote support for products while at sea, Helena Lennerstedt, CEO of Humphree (which builds stabilising systems for boats) is using AI to make meetings more efficient. Lennerstedt details that AI can take notes and make agendas. But, she says, the interesting part for her is that AI can predict decisions which will be taken in meetings. And, once you know one outcome is more likely, you can prepare better for the decision that you’d like to see taken instead.
Plus, the company’s using the capabilities to interrogate its statistics to enhance performance. “We all get a lot of data,” Lennerstedt says, “and there are opportunities to utilise this to drive boats in a smarter way.”
AI brings efficiency to scheduling exhibition attendance
Anne Dunbar, the executive director of IBEX, believes that technology and AI are the future of shows. “It’s all about making your life more efficient,” she says, and speaks of how IBEX will allow visitors to schedule appointments at the exhibition.
But Dunbar warns against OEMs and similar using ChatGTP without proper cautions in place. “When you put it out there it’s there forever,” she says.
While it may be tempting to stick product details into AI to see what it says compared to other products, or for marketing blurb or for any of a hundred other reasons, Dunbar notes: “Everyone has access. If you want to protect your assets, ban its [ChatGTP’s] use. It’s taking all the info and creating something else.”
Meanwhile, Gabbi Richardson, founder of Yachting Ventures, says AI allows her to focus on creative work, and a higher volume of it.
She says she’s used it more after working with a consultant who opened her eyes to its possibilities. The latter helped with automation and work flow. Richardson says its great for streamlining community onboarding and engagement via the CRM (customer relationship management) – a hubspot – when linking with other tools.
Who uses AI in the marine sector?
A recent survey supported by MIN, and presented at the event by Michele Goldsmith, vice president and general manager of Soundings Trade Only Group, revealed 75 per cent of marine trade respondents are using AI for marketing / advertising / admin. And, 32 per cent of those are using it on a daily basis. Just under a quarter of respondents (23 per cent) have never used it at all.
Ellen Bradley, NMMA’s chief brand officer, wrote a detailed article on how AI is transforming marine marketing – with specific nods to SEO and customer engagement. That’s on page 13 of MIN‘s November 2024 print issue – which is now online.
Recently MIN’s covered BoatBot’s AI-powered platform which aims to ‘fix your boat with a photo’, Sea AI ‘Brain’ AI system which is said to enhance safety at sea and Lookout’s AI system which claims to detect ‘every’ marine hazard. That’s just a few examples of other innovative uses.
Let MIN know what your company is using AI for, or why the company isn’t yet ready to embrace its capabilities. Email info@marineindustrynews.co.uk with your company’s story.
The Women in the Marine Industry event at Metstrade 2024 was hosted by British Marine, Soundings Trade Only, Metstrade, and Marine Industry News. It was supported by Barton Marine.
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