AUTO-MARE examines the emergence of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) in the Nordic and Baltic. The project approaches MASS as a socio-technical and political shift that reconfigures knowledge-power relations in ocean governance. Drawing on responsible innovation of artificial intelligence, epistemic justice, and posthuman legal theory, the project asks: whose knowledges are embedded in autonomous maritime systems, and whose are excluded?
The project addresses critical legal dilemmas posed by AI-driven ships under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which presumes human agency aboard vessels. Concepts like “master” and “effective control” become legally ambiguous when decision-making shifts to algorithms. Current maritime regulations lack clarity for autonomous operations, creating regulatory gaps that risk undermining accountability, safety, and justice. In examining how AI will reshape shipping, AUTO-MARE reflects on how AI-driven governance may treat oceans as blank data landscapes for optimization. If left unchecked, autonomous maritime technologies risk reproducing extractive dynamics through algorithmic design. In that sense, responsible AI deployment must centre plural knowledges and technocratic homogenization.
By bridging empirical fieldwork, doctrinal legal analysis, and critical theory across six work packages, AUTO-MARE develops justice-centred governance models specific to Nordic and Baltic maritime domains. Participatory and interdisciplinary methods will inform new legal and policy frameworks that enhance transparency, accountability, and socio-ecological sustainability. By developing responsible AI governance for the shipping sector, AUTO-MARE contributes to shaping a future where AI innovation strengthens, rather than undermines the flourishing of human and more-than-human oceanic life.
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