Shipping ports are the latest front in the rising tension between labor unions and AI-powered automation.
What’s new: Autonomous vehicles, robotic cranes, and computer vision systems increasingly manage the flow of goods in and out of ports worldwide. Dockworkers in the United States are worried that such technology threatens their livelihoods, The Wall Street Journal reported.
How it works: Automation boosts the number of containers a port can move per hour from vessel to dock. For instance, Shanghai’s Yangshan Deep Water Port, one of the world’s most automated ports, moves more than 113 containers per hour, while Oakland, California’s less-automated port moves around 25 containers per hour, according to a report by S&P Global Market Intelligence for the World Bank.
- Self-driving vehicles transport containers between docks and stacking yards, navigating by techniques such as following lines painted on the floor. In ports like Yangshan and Rotterdam, zero-emission automated vehicles work continuously without human intervention.
- Automated stacking cranes work in tandem with self-driving vehicles to manage containers in port yards. They reposition containers when they’re not needed for efficient use of available space. Rotterdam’s automated cranes boost productivity by 40 percent compared to conventional terminals.
- Remote-controlled ship-to-shore cranes load and unload vessels, improving safety and efficiency. In Rotterdam, such cranes can move up to 30 containers per hour, while manual cranes move 25 to 28 containers per hour.
- AI-powered systems monitor container movements and read identification codes to streamline the flow of cargo. These systems check containers into and out of the port automatically and track their locations in real time.
- Data management systems coordinate all automated equipment to predict schedules and reduce bottlenecks.
Dockworkers disagree: Harold Daggett, leader of the International Longshoremen’s Association, a union that negotiates on behalf of dockworkers, vowed to fight port automation, which he sees as a pretext to eliminate jobs. He has proposed that members of unions internationally refuse work for shipping companies that use automated equipment. Fresh from a three-day strike in early October, longshoremen will return to negotiations with shipping companies in mid-January.
Why it matters: Ports are one of many work environments where AI is bringing down costs while improving throughput. In many such situations, humans can continue to perform tasks that machines don’t do well. But where human jobs are at risk, society must determine the most productive path. Dockworkers, through their unions, have significant power in this equation. A protracted U.S. dockworker strike risks economic losses of up to $7.5 billion a week. On the other hand, automation could bring tremendous gains in safety, speed, and economic efficiency.
We’re thinking: We are very sympathetic to workers’ rights. Yet we also believe that more-efficient ports will boost commerce, creating many new jobs. As traditional roles change, workers need opportunities to learn new skills and adapt to the evolving job market. Society has a responsibility to provide a safety net as well as training and education for those whose jobs are threatened by automation.