Scaling Artificial Intelligence (AI) across an organisation requires more than pilots and experimentation. It means addressing human fears, providing transparency, and embedding safeguards. This article looks at the practical steps that help companies move from hesitation to confident adoption. Organisations may need some assistance to move from fear to adoption and to scale AI successfully. The following steps are useful starting points.
Acknowledge the Fear
Fear is natural and legitimate, especially in a traditional, high-stakes industry like maritime. But it must be acknowledged. By bringing fears into the open, companies can address them head on and show employees they’re not being steamrolled. In addition, a culture of psychological safety is important. People should feel safe to say, “I don’t understand this AI” or “I spotted an error here,” rather than hiding issues. This transparency allows fears to be surfaced and managed rather than ignored.
Transparency is Key to Changing the Narrative
AI can enable a shift from execution to more managerial and decision-making roles, but this is often poorly communicated. In Thetius’ latest research on AI, carried out in partnership with Marcura, only 17% of survey respondents stated that their organisations have taken steps to be transparent about how AI will make decisions within their organisations. This leaves many employees feeling uncertain about how AI will impact their work.
Steven Jones, Founder of the Seafarers Happiness Index told us, “It’s very hard to be optimistic if you don’t know whether you’ll have a job or what AI actually translates and means for you. Sometimes there isn’t the communication of positive change. People are told there’s a tech but there’s often no clear or consistent explanation given to the end users, particularly seafarers.”
Implement Technology Safeguards and Clear Policies
On the technical side, organisations should favour AI vendors that offer data localisation, encryption, and operational transparency. Key questions to ask include: Where is the data stored and processed? Who has access? Can we audit the AI’s training data?
On the policy side, companies must educate employees. Policies should be paired with approved tools, for example, a secure, vetted internal AI assistant. This ensures that staff can still benefit from AI without turning to insecure tools.
Embed AI into Existing Systems
Our research found that 41% of participants prefer AI to be embedded into systems already in use, while 33% say a mix of both integrated and standalone systems works best. Solutions that are delivered as augmentative layers rather than replacements allow users to integrate as they wish or replace if that’s what works best for them.
Human-in-the-Loop AI
A human should always be kept in the loop in AI decision making. One CEO of a technology company said, “We must realise AI is a black box that cannot make strategic decisions. Use it as support to enhance humans’ life, efficiency and decisions.”
Takeaway: Scaling AI isn’t just a technical challenge, it’s a human one. Concerns around skills, disruption, and trust must be actively addressed.
For further insight into the areas highlighted in this article, download our thought leadership report, Beyond The Hype, created in partnership with Marcura.
