Nick and Raal examine seafarer risk in conflict zones, the worsening shortage of cadet berths, and the industry’s misaligned incentives. The discussion expands into AI’s growing role in maritime operations, from performance data to decision support, before confronting wider questions around automation, labour displacement, and human accountability in increasingly machine-led environments.Chapters00:00 Reconnecting after travel and reflections on Japan02:00 Strait of Hormuz, seafarer risk, and media attention07:30 Cadet berth shortages and training pipeline pressures12:30 Onboard realities: risk, cost, and declining access16:40 Human data, AI, and performance insights21:00 Personality profiling and crew dynamics27:00 Workflow data and real-time decision support30:30 Automation, aviation, and human disengagement33:20 AI labour and workers training their replacements37:00 Claude, coding tools, and accelerating capability41:00 Cybersecurity risks and unintended consequences43:30 Closing reflectionsEpisode ShownotesNick and Raal open with a catch-up after time on the road, before quickly turning to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. With tens of thousands of seafarers still operating under heightened risk, they reflect on the limited but growing mainstream media attention on the human impact of geopolitical disruption.The conversation then moves to a persistent structural issue: the shortage of cadet berths. While the need to train the next generation of officers is widely accepted, the burden of doing so remains unevenly distributed. The result is a familiar industry dynamic—collective benefit, individual cost—with long-term consequences for the maritime talent pipeline.From there, the discussion shifts toward data and technology. Drawing on examples from industry initiatives and emerging platforms, Nick and Raal explore how fragmented human performance data could be brought together. The opportunity lies in moving beyond retrospective analysis toward real-time decision support. However, this raises a more complex question: as systems become more capable, what happens to human accountability when decisions are increasingly machine-informed?The episode then broadens beyond shipping. Examples from aviation and manufacturing illustrate how automation is already reshaping work, from pilots disengaging in highly automated environments to factory workers generating the data that may ultimately replace them. These cases frame a wider concern: the pace of technological change is accelerating faster than industry—and policy—responses.The episode closes with a reflection on that gap. Maritime may feel insulated, but the same forces are already at work. The challenge is not whether change is coming, but how the industry responds while it still has agency to shape outcomes.Episode PartnerThis episode is brought to you by IEC Telecom.Connectivity at sea isn’t just about operations, it’s about people.For today’s crews, staying connected to family and life onshore has become an essential part of life at sea.IEC Telecom’s Voucher Management System makes that possible, a flexible, easy-to-manage solution that gives operators full control over onboard connectivity, while ensuring fair and reliable access for crew.Simple to deploy. Transparent to manage. Built for real life at sea.Because when crews feel connected, they perform better.Click here to learn more.

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