Satellites, AI and information-sharing platforms for the maritime domain: have new technologies revolutionized maritime security?

Abstract Technological advances in commercial satellites, remote sensing and artificial intelligence (AI) may have revolutionized ocean observation, but have they also revolutionized maritime security? This article looks at the maritime domain awareness (MDA) and information-sharing platforms Skylight, SeaVision and IORIS, and analyses their contributions to maritime security. These platforms harness surveillance data from civilian satellites, rely on AI to analyse large datasets and make these technologies available via user-friendly interfaces to navies, coastguards and other actors. The article identifies four contributions of these platforms: they are indispensable sources of information and MDA; they bring together maritime security actors in networks of users and ease coordination among actors available to address a threat; they give maritime security actors options to overcome jurisdictional limitations such as the law of the sea principle of exclusive flag state jurisdiction through exchanges in the platforms; and they, through the proper combination of the first three factors, bring about the confluence of information, capable actors and jurisdiction. These findings have implications for the broader question of technologies' impacts on international affairs. Building on the idea of human–machine interactions, the article also identifies limitations to the use and effectiveness of MDA and information-sharing platforms.