by Steven Jones, Chair and Conference Producer, IMPA Athens 2026
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing almost everything about our lives. We have been remarkably quick to adopt it, and it is becoming difficult to remember a time before we routinely asked Claude what it thinks.
Within companies, progress has perhaps been slower. The promise is enormous, but so too are the uncertainties. Big answers are apparent, though perhaps not always matched by sufficiently good questions.
In maritime procurement, excitement, investment and extraordinary technological possibilities are coming to the fore. Yet one fundamental question remains: Are we making better decisions, or simply making decisions faster?
That philosophical quandary appropriately sits at the heart of IMPA Athens 2026, taking place on 21 October, bringing together procurement professionals, shipowners, suppliers, technology specialists and industry leaders. IMPA Events
Our ambition is to move beyond the hype, challenge assumptions and establish where AI genuinely adds value, where risks lie, and what must remain within human control.
Maritime procurement has never been simply about buying or selling. It involves technical expertise, commercial judgement, relationships, reliability and trust. Purchasing decisions extend far beyond the procurement department, affecting vessel operations, seafarer welfare, safety and business performance.
AI promises remarkable improvements in analysing quotations, identifying suppliers and automating processes. Yet efficiency does not automatically mean better outcomes. The cheapest component is not necessarily the right component, and the fastest recommendation is not necessarily the wisest.
Throughout the conference, we will examine these tensions, beginning with the real pressures facing procurement professionals. We will put AI under scrutiny, challenging providers and practitioners to demonstrate measurable results, share experiences and acknowledge what has not worked.
We will explore the AI hype cycle, organisational choices and the challenge of introducing intelligent systems into established commercial relationships.
Importantly, we will confront an uncomfortable question: As AI becomes better at providing answers, are we becoming less capable of exercising independent judgement?
If technology undertakes the tasks through which professionals traditionally develop expertise, how do we preserve the knowledge, instincts and experience upon which good decisions depend? How can we learn and grow if that process increasingly takes place in a data centre somewhere?
Cybersecurity, confidentiality, accountability and trust will feature prominently. Our Great AI Debate will encourage genuine disagreement and audience participation rather than comfortable consensus.
But we want Athens to achieve more than another interesting conversation. Our intention is to develop proposed “Athens Principles for Responsible AI in Maritime Procurement”, providing practical guidance on human accountability, commercial integrity, supplier fairness, operational resilience and responsible adoption. These will be propositions to challenge and refine collectively.
Ultimately, this is not about deciding whether AI is good or bad. It is already a reality, and can be both simultaneously. What matters is understanding how to use it intelligently, responsibly and effectively.
The future of maritime procurement should not be defined by how much judgement we surrender to machines, but by how much better we become at making decisions that matter.
Perhaps success will be measured by what delegates do differently the following morning. Or maybe what ChatGPT tells them to do?
