British Royal Navy Accelerates AI-Warfare & Autonomy Integration

November 23, 2024 by Tom Rooney

Tom Rooney is the General Manager of Marine AI, and is a trained engineer, having served in the Royal navy for 25 years. Renowned for his deep expertise in radar, sonar, external communications and marine operations, Rooney has a proven track record of driving innovation in high-stakes environments. At Marine AI, he leads the development and deployment of the company’s cutting-edge suite of products, including autonomous navigation systems, advanced maritime sensors, and AI-driven vessel management solutions.

The Royal Navy is no stranger to technological innovation. Over centuries, its ships have borne witness to transformative leaps, from sail to steam, and from radar to nuclear propulsion. Now, in the age of artificial intelligence, the Navy is taking a bold step into the future, trialling cutting-edge autonomous software, GuardianAI, onboard it’s trials ship, the XV Patrick Blackett.

The XV Patrick Blackett, named after the Nobel Prize-winning physicist and naval innovator, is the Royal Navy’s dedicated testbed for experimental technologies. In the words of Captain Keith Stephenson, Head of NavyX, it’s “a platform to test, trial, and innovate at speed.”

Marine AI’s GuardianAI is arguably one of the most ambitious technologies to be trialled on the vessel. Developed by the Plymouth-based company Marine AI, GuardianAI is designed to augment situational awareness, assist decision-making, and enable autonomous operations. But what makes it particularly noteworthy is its potential application across both crewed and unmanned systems, a vital consideration as navies worldwide race to develop autonomous capabilities.

How does GuardianAI work?

At its core, GuardianAI functions like an augmented watch officer, constantly scanning the environment and providing real-time data to enhance decision-making and dynamic operational planning. It uses a sophisticated network of sensors, including lidar, radar, high-definition cameras, and satellite systems, to monitor its surroundings. From this data, the system identifies potential hazards, be they other vessels, underwater obstacles, or adverse weather, then dynamically provides an updated safe navigation route and suggests corrective actions.

GuardianAI operates in two primary modes, watch guard mode, where it assists human crews by flagging risks and offering COLREG compliant recommendations, and fully autonomous mode, where the system takes complete control, steering the vessel and optimising routes.  The modular nature of the GuardianAI software stack enables it to be easily configured to support every stage between these two primary modes.