Transformative Impact of the EU AI Act on Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships

Young-Gyu Lee, Chang-Hee Lee (), Young-Hun Jeon and Jae-Hwan Bae
Additional contact information
Young-Gyu Lee: Hanwha Ocean Co., Ltd., 3370, Geoje-daero, Geoje-si 53302, Republic of Korea
Chang-Hee Lee: College of Maritime Sciences, Korea Maritime & Ocean University, Taejong-ro, Yeongdo-gu, Busan 49112, Republic of Korea
Young-Hun Jeon: Fuel Gas Technology Center Computational Engineering Research Team, Busan Mieum Headquarters, Korea Marine Equipment Research Institute, Busan 49111, Republic of Korea
Jae-Hwan Bae: Fuel Gas Technology Center Computational Engineering Research Team, Busan Mieum Headquarters, Korea Marine Equipment Research Institute, Busan 49111, Republic of Korea

Laws, 2024, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-20

Abstract: The International Maritime Organization collaborates with member states to develop the Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) Code to establish an international agreement framework. In December 2023, an agreement was reached on the European Union (EU) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act within the MASS Code. It was officially finalized and implemented on 1 August 2024. While the Act’s full application is set for two years later, certain provisions regarding safety against AI risks will take effect sooner. This study utilized a multiple-streams analysis method to examine how the EU AI Act impacted shipyards and shipping companies, focusing on ethical AI use and user safety. The findings indicate that technical completeness, safety enhancement, and AI system regulation through risk classification influence autonomous ship innovation. The challenges of reviewing the commercialization of new technologies for autonomous ships may result in market failures or decreased industry competitiveness. The study emphasizes the need to balance AI safety and ethical responsibility with autonomous ship development innovations. To ensure the sustainable application of AI technology, innovators must adapt to the EU AI Directive. Hence, this study confirms that the ethical and legal regulation of AI technology is crucial in technological innovation and development related to autonomous ships.

Keywords: EU AI Act; maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS); artificial intelligence; multiple-streams analysis; technology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D78 E61 E62 F13 F42 F68 K0 K1 K2 K3 K4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-471X/13/5/61/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-471X/13/5/61/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlawss:v:13:y:2024:i:5:p:61-:d:1479139

Access Statistics for this article

Laws is currently edited by Ms. Heather Liang

More articles in Laws from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().