Hyundai Heavy is hiring a chief artificial intelligence officer as the future of shipping

South Korea's Hyundai Heavy is hiring a chief artificial intelligence officer to drive a major business transformation by improving ship technology and plant operations.

According to industry insiders, Hyundai Heavy recently named Kim Young-ok, managing director of the big data and AI team of subsidiary Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (KSOE), as its first chief artificial intelligence officer, who would create artificial intelligence and big data strategy and oversee operations. Artificial intelligence officer Kim, who holds a master's degree in artificial intelligence from Soongsil University in Seoul, has worked in AI, big data, and digital transformation for IT service providers LG CNS and Hyundai Motor Co. before joining KSOE in September.

The organization is the first in the shipping sector to appoint a CAIO as part of a plan sponsored by Chung Ki-sun, president of the holding company HD Hyundai and son of the group's largest shareholder, to encourage the use of AI and big data to shipping operations and shipyard building.

KSOE and Avikus, companies of the conglomerate, are developing AI-based autonomous navigation technology for unmanned boats, allowing ships to operate autonomously without a human crew and optimize navigation based on fuel economy.

Chung has classified Avikus' autonomous navigation technology as a major core business to which the organization is fully committed. Avikus, which will be launched as the conglomerate's first internal initiative in December 2020 and spun out in January of this year, got a 6 billion won ($4.5 million) investment from HD Hyundai to become a wholly owned subsidiary.

The business set a world record in June by remotely guiding a huge vessel across the Pacific Ocean. The American Bureau of Shipping acknowledged Avikus' achievement by providing the world's first statement of facts on autonomous boats.

Furthermore, the organization is working on the Future of Shipyard (FOS) project, which aims to create and build a smart shipyard that optimizes and automates manufacturing using AI, the Internet of Things, and robots, with a completion date of 2030. The conglomerate is looking for a joint venture with Palantir Technologies of the United States for this project.

Chung will reveal a variety of AI business concepts during CES 2023, which takes place from January 5-8 in Las Vegas.

He will present his "Ocean Transformation" vision at the world's largest consumer electronics exhibition, which seeks a fundamental shift in the marine sector's perspective through actions such as the use of AI.