Ask the Expert
In each edition of ONBOARD Magazine, we talk to four experts in their fields about common issues on board superyachts and how their products and services can deliver the required solutions.
How are you currently leveraging AI in your business, and where do you see it creating the most value in the next few years?
We are already leveraging AI in a practical, brand-safe way across our brands Royal Huisman, Rondal and Huisfit. From a marketing and communications perspective, AI helps us accelerate content development (first drafts, translations, tone-of-voice consistency), repurpose long-form stories into tailored assets for our target audiences like e.g. owners, captains and architects and sharpen targeting and performance analysis across channels.
Besides it also supports knowledge structuring, turning project stories, technical narratives and heritage content into clearer internal briefs and media toolkits.
From a branding perspective, we are also using AI creatively in the development of Royal Huisman’s new brand film, supporting early-stage ideation, storyboarding and concept visualization to explore bolder narrative routes while staying true to our heritage, craftsmanship and “Ultimate Expression of Personal Freedom” positioning.
Across the organisation, AI is being explored and applied in various departments such as Engineering and ICT to improve efficiency and decision-making, supporting faster information retrieval, documentation, troubleshooting and process optimization. Always within secure environments and with clear governance.
Looking ahead, the biggest value will come from premium personalization at scale, AI-assisted visualization for storytelling and predictive insights to optimize campaign timing, channel mix and event engagement, while keeping human-led judgement, rigorous approval and responsible use that protects client privacy and IP.
How are you currently leveraging AI in your business, and where do you see it creating the most value in the next few years?
We are always looking for ways to be smarter and more efficient, and the introduction of AI has revolutionised the way everyone works. The superyacht market is hugely competitive, and every business should be looking to embrace new technologies and ways of working to gain an advantage.
Generating instant responses and images are hugely powerful tools that we’ve used to save time and add value in certain situations. From an early stage, we optimised our website for greater AI visibility, which has led to several new visitors and our 1st enquiry from AI traffic.
Despite this success, I suggest proceeding with caution as I’ve seen individuals over rely on AI, which can stunt problem-solving skills. Likewise, many companies have been overusing AI for producing seasonal content, which can damage a brands authenticity (not to mention sustainability impact).
If used to compliment and optimise existing techniques to free up time for greater creativity, AI will play a huge role in the future success of any superyacht business.
Note – this response is not AI generated….
How are you currently leveraging AI in your business, and where do you see it creating the most value in the next few years?
At Trident Virtual, we leverage AI in targeted ways to deliver smarter remote technical support for superyachts.
Backend, AI accelerates software development, coding, debugging, and feature iteration and strengthens database security with enhanced threat detection, access controls, and data integrity for sensitive yacht telemetry and logs.
Frontend, our AI-powered assisted reality (aR) headsets enable hands-free, voice-controlled live support in demanding onboard environments. AI summarizes inspections and calls, auto-generating concise reports, highlighting issues, and logging actions for compliance, while providing contextual diagnostics and step-by-step guidance during real-time sessions with Class 1 engineers.
Day-to-day, we use AI as a streamlined conversational search engine, far more efficient and less click-heavy than legacy tools for quick research, troubleshooting, and insights.
Looking ahead, we’re developing an AI-integrated app to serve as the “brain of the vessel.” It will ingest telemetry, onboard manuals, procedures, and historical patterns to deliver insights on voyage optimization, predictive/prescriptive maintenance, refit planning, and safer operations. As hardware costs fall, vessels will run offline, self-hosted AI engines for reliable, low-latency performance at sea without cloud dependency.
AI has already replaced traditional search engines for most users as the fastest way to answers, this shift will accelerate, amplifying technical support, reducing downtime, cutting costs, and boosting reliability in superyachts’ complex world.
How are you currently leveraging AI in your business, and where do you see it creating the most value in the next few years?
As a provider of managed IT and communications for the superyacht industry, we currently use AI primarily to enhance operational efficiency. It supports documentation restructuring, technical research, hardware comparisons, template generation and improving written communications.
Our technical team also leverages AI for remote troubleshooting, code and script development, data analytics, and organising complex data libraries — reducing resolution times while keeping human oversight central.
We are careful not to over-rely on AI as human expertise remains central to our service model. All AI outputs require human verification, and our internal governance policies are evolving to ensure responsible use.
Looking ahead, the greatest value lies in predictive intelligence. AI could continuously analyse data from onboard networks, servers, and satellite systems to detect early signs of hardware degradation or anomalies before failures occur mid-charter. We also see strong potential in AI-driven cyber risk intelligence, automating elements of monitoring, penetration testing, and dynamic risk reporting — strengthening resilience while protecting owner experience and privacy.
As a business, are you seeing a general skills shortage in recruitment and how do you improve employee retention?
Honestly, we haven’t really struggled with a skills shortage at Awake. We’ve been lucky to attract people who are genuinely passionate about what we do, that mix of innovation and performance seems to draw the right kind of talent.
That said, keeping great people is always the real challenge. For us, retention is about trust, belonging and sense of purpose. When people feel part of something real, not just a job title, they stay and they give their best. That’s where we put our energy.
As a business, are you seeing a general skills shortage in recruitment and how do you improve employee retention?
For several years now, we have observed, beyond mere skills, a real lack of engagement in work. In people’s minds, work is no longer a pleasure but a chore. Integrity towards one’s company is no longer the norm. This means having to hire employees lacking technical expertise. Obviously, this affects the company’s image with its clients.
Team spirit is essential for the smooth operation of a company. To this end, we give our employees as much freedom as possible. We avoid any unnecessary pressure. We strive to improve working conditions by investing in suitable premises and high-performance tools. Whenever possible, we respond favourably to the personal requests of our employees. To attract talented individuals, we have implemented benefits such as meal vouchers, performance bonuses, and the possibility of overtime to increase earnings. We organize team-building activities to improve cohesion within YAS Protec.”