Workshop Details

The complex issues associated with AI-powered automation in ports call for contributions and collaborations among many disciplines. This workshop will bring together a cross-disciplinary group of participants from academia, industry, and government, including industrial engineers, mechanical engineers, roboticists, mathematical modelers, supply chain experts, economists, decision and risk experts, and social and behavioral scientists, bringing to the workshop a combination of subject matter expertise and practical experience with analytical tools in a variety of engineering-related contexts. This will allow the workshop to serve as a platform for exchange of ideas and experiences between industry and academia as we intend to invite practitioners from advanced and automated ports both nationally and internationally. We expect that one outcome of this activity will be the creation of a working group with a national scope, and the identification of the key issues that need investigation in a more detailed and comprehensive follow-up program.

The workshop will be organized around three major themes:

Theme I: What is different about automation in the age of AI? What are some obstacles involved in implementation of AI-powered automation in ports?

Theme II: What are some of the key optimization questions that arise in making ports smarter?

Theme III: What are the special risks of increased use of AI in automation in ports and what countermeasures might mitigate impact of new kinds of disruptions?