Nicosia, Cyprus. Columbia Group is urging shipping industry leaders to implement artificial intelligence in ways that support inclusion and do not hinder efforts to attract more women to the sector. The company said AI must be embedded carefully to avoid reinforcing historical bias.
Warning over biased historical data
Columbia Group said AI systems are built on historical data that may already reflect discrimination against women, making it imperative for businesses to integrate the technology thoughtfully so that shipping becomes more appealing to future generations of female talent.
Newly appointed group head of AI Christina Orfanidou said artificial intelligence is often presented as neutral, but depends on the data it is trained on. “Artificial intelligence is often spoken about as if it were a perfectly neutral system, yet it remains entirely dependent on the information we choose to feed it,” she said.
In shipping, she added, women make up only a very small share of the global workforce, meaning the information used to train AI inevitably reflects decades of imbalance. “If we allow AI to learn uncritically from that past, we risk creating tools that appear modern while quietly reinforcing patterns we are striving to change,” Orfanidou said.
Orfanidou said historical underrepresentation can itself become a problem when used in AI models, warning that, “If historical data shows women appearing less frequently in certain roles or ranks, a model may interpret that scarcity as a natural rule.”
Potential benefits and implementation approach
Orfanidou said AI can reduce administrative work and improve decision-making when applied properly in areas such as crewing, knowledge management and operational planning.
She said her focus is on embedding AI within the business rather than treating it as a separate function, and added that it is vital for tools to be built in partnership with people who understand vessel operations, crewing, safety and human resources, as they are best placed to identify where bias may be hidden.
AI can help reduce time spent on routine tasks and free people up to focus on work requiring judgement and expertise, Orfanidou said, adding that, “when used responsibly it can make the industry more appealing, more modern and more aligned with how people today expect to work.”
What steps should shipping companies take to identify and reduce bias in AI tools used for crewing and operational decisions?
