Maritime and AI
Solange Charas, PhD, HCMoneyball
Introduction: The Original Internet of Maritime Networks
When we think about today’s digital transformation, powered by artificial intelligence, we often imagine it as unprecedented. In reality, humanity has been here before. In the 15th and 16th centuries, maritime networks functioned as the “original internet.” Caravels, carracks, compasses, and portolan charts connected continents, accelerated commerce, and transformed how people worked and created value.
Much like our cloud servers and undersea cables today, these maritime innovations formed a global communications network. They reduced the time it took for information, goods, and people to cross the world—from years to months—and in the process unleashed profound changes in economics, governance, and human capital. The lesson for us in the AI era is clear: technology alone is never enough. Value creation depends on the systems, governance, and workforce skills that surround it.
How Maritime Innovation Transformed Work and Value Creation
Between 1400 and 1700, trade volumes increased tenfold. European prices for Asian spices dropped by as much as 70% because shipping routes became faster and more efficient. Port cities like Amsterdam grew by 400%, becoming thriving economic hubs.
This boom reshaped the workforce. Navigators, cartographers, naval architects, and insurance underwriters became essential professions. Traditional roles—local traders, craftsmen, and feudal lords—had to adapt or risk irrelevance. Guilds and new institutions such as Portugal’s schools of seamanship and Spain’s Casa de Contratación standardized skills and created certification pathways. These were the original workforce development programs.
At the same time, new business models emerged. The Dutch East India Company, often described as the first “tech unicorn,” scaled global operations by pioneering standardized processes, inventing modern stock exchanges, and compensating employees with a mix of wages and profit shares. Maritime networks were not just about ships—they redefined work and value creation at every level.
From Ships to Servers: Parallels With Today’s AI Revolution
Fast forward to today. Undersea cables now carry 95% of international data traffic, acting as the backbone of the digital economy. Cloud servers process information at a speed unimaginable in the maritime era. And artificial intelligence is becoming the new foundational technology, with McKinsey estimating AI could add between $2.6 and $4.4 trillion in global economic value annually.
The parallels are striking. Ships connected continents; AI connects data and decisions. Maritime technology reshaped global trade; AI is reshaping industries from finance to healthcare. The same pattern holds: foundational technologies create waves of reinvention across business models, organizational structures, and workforce skills.
Ecosystems, Not Tools, Drive Lasting Transformation
The Portuguese had superior ships, but it was the Dutch who built the most resilient ecosystem—financing mechanisms, legal codes, insurance markets, and training institutions—that enabled them to dominate global trade.
Similarly, AI adoption will not depend solely on deploying powerful models. Organizations need ecosystems: governance frameworks that manage ethical risks, data infrastructure that ensures reliability, and workforce training that builds human capability. Forbes recently noted that companies succeeding with AI are those that treat it as an ecosystem investment—integrating governance, skills, and cross-functional leadership rather than a technology project alone.
Balancing Policy, Risk, and Opportunity in the Age of AI
Thriving maritime nations balanced disruption with opportunity. England’s Navigation Acts protected domestic shipping while supporting global trade expansion. Dutch financial innovations allowed risk management while fueling new ventures.
The same balance is required today. Overregulation could slow innovation, while under-regulation risks ethical lapses and reputational damage. Board members and policymakers face an urgent responsibility: establish frameworks that both protect traditional industries and enable AI-driven reinvention. As Forbes has highlighted, AI governance is fast becoming a board-level imperative, with investors demanding greater transparency on both risks and opportunities.
Systematic Skills Development: From Navigators to AI Specialists
Just as navigators and cartographers emerged as new professions in the maritime era, AI specialists, prompt engineers, and risk auditors are becoming indispensable today. Navigational academies and apprenticeships were the maritime bootcamps of their time; today, companies like Google, Microsoft, and AWS are offering AI certification programs to accelerate workforce readiness.
The economics mirror history. Skilled navigators once earned three to four times the wages of artisans. Today, AI talent commands wage million dollar premiums above traditional technical roles. Organizations that systematize workforce reskilling—rather than leaving it to individual initiative—will capture the largest productivity and financial gains.
Measuring Transformation: Metrics Across Centuries
We can quantify the similarities across technological revolutions:
Then (1400–1700):
10× growth in Portugal’s Asian trade
70% drop in spice prices in Europe
400% population growth in Amsterdam
Wage premiums of 3–4× for navigators
Now (2020s):
The pattern is unmistakable: early adopters rarely dominate. Systematic adapters—those who integrate technology into workforce strategy, governance, and operations—become the long-term winners.
Why Systematic Adapters Win the AI Race
The Portuguese were first movers, but it was the Dutch who sustained dominance. Their edge wasn’t technology but systems: education, finance, governance, and human capital development.
Today’s lesson for AI is the same. Early experimentation—what McKinsey calls “copilot mode”—is not enough. Companies that adapt their operating models, governance structures, and workforce programs systematically will outperform those who only pilot new tools.
The Leadership Imperative: Linking AI, Work, and Value Creation
History shows that ships alone didn’t change the world—people, institutions, and governance did. AI will be no different. For CHROs, CFOs, and board members, this is not just about adopting a technology; it’s about aligning ecosystems of governance, human capital, and finance to unlock sustainable value.
The maritime revolution reminds us that the winners of technological disruption are those who build resilient systems around innovation. Today, AI may be the engine, but leaders must design the ship. If we get it right, the greatest value won’t come from the technology itself—it will come from how we integrate AI into the human and organizational capabilities that power long-term growth.