Designing a survey framework to collect port stakeholders’ insight regarding AI implementation: results from the Flemish context

Abstract Today, several research/initiatives exist in AI technology at the port operation. They mainly focus on solution development in a particular port and shipping industry domain. This scattered implementation leads to an unstructured overview of the port sector regarding AI innovation in use. Equally, this study aims to structure this overview for aligning stakeholders and AI providers toward implementation. In doing so, the first step would be collecting the port stakeholders' insight regarding AI implementation. This study develops a structured framework to collect the port stakeholders’ insight through both desk and empirical research. Besides, an online survey is built based on the framework and sent to a target group of port stakeholders to collect their insight. The survey results show that a huge effort is needed to establish a structure for data exchange to increase the quality of data. Additionally, by highlighting the importance of data from specific stakeholders, developers can effectively convey the value proposition to these stakeholders. They can emphasize how utilizing this vital data can result in operational enhancements, cost reductions, improved decision-making, and competitive advantages. As an implication, alignment between port stakeholders and AI providers enhances the maturity level of the market in AI solutions by fostering collaboration, addressing industry-specific challenges, tailoring solutions, and garnering support for implementation.