FrontM, a UK-based platform that facilitates intelligent collaboration within the maritime industry, has announced the integration of ChatGPT, in response to the growing popularity of the AI-powered language model.
FrontM says this integration will enhance its partners’ and customers’ AI capabilities for crew connectivity, streamlined information, and access to care.
“With our advanced integration of chatGPT to our platform, we are expanding generative AI’s reach into maritime environments and various use cases. I am personally excited at each opportunity to exploit the full potential of AI and unlock greater value for maritime partners, operators and seafarers,” says Guillermo Acilu, CTO of FrontM.
Through its superapp and low-code developer framework, FrontM allows for use cases such as telehealth, video conferencing, virtual events, remote assistance, and tracking and monitoring for ships.
This integration has the potential to enhance connectivity between ship and shore teams, a critical factor in the maritime industry.
Addressing connectivity and efficiency challenges
The maritime digital industry is projected to reach a valuation of $345 billion by 2030, according to maritime innovation consultancy Thetius. Founded in 2016 by Kiran Venkatesh and Guillermo Acilu, FrontM is a platform based in London, San Francisco, and India, is in a prime position to assist maritime companies and service providers in capitalizing on the opportunities emerging in this dynamic market.
In a pre-Series A funding round earlier this year, the “Intelligent Collaboration. Anywhere” platform for the maritime industry, raised $1.5 million. The funding round was led by Jenson Funding Partners, a UK-based venture capital firm that specialises in early-stage investments.
FrontM’s mission is to address the connectivity and efficiency challenges faced by maritime businesses and their mobile workforces or customers operating in remote and low bandwidth environments.
The company has integrated ChatGPT into its platform with the aim of harnessing the power of Generative AI and advancing its mission. Among FrontM’s offerings is “onship,” a maritime superapp available for free on the Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and web at onship.app. The app marketplace built into onship includes text, voice, and video communication, e-wallet, and closed user group collaboration that breaks silos between ship and shore.
Additionally, onship features Emma, a virtual assistant that provides seafarers with helpful information at their fingertips. FrontM’s low-code developer framework enables rapid development of conversational AI use cases for partners, including seafarers’ safety and assistance with routine and exigent duties and responsibilities at sea.
The onship superapp can scale up to become the universal maritime digital touchpoint for seafarers. For example, imagine a captain calling at the lesser-known port of Laayoune in Morocco and needing information about ship chandlers beyond what the agent could provide.
With Emma, the captain can obtain the names and contact details of four such suppliers within twenty seconds and make direct calls using onship’s built-in communication tools.
“A useful and equally beneficial requirement may be that the Chief Cook wants to prepare something new for an upcoming weekend barbecue party to boost crew morale! Emma can help him with some new recipes using onboard ingredients! In fact, the “Cooky” can soon share text and images of the menu with his shipmates through onship and create much anticipation and excitement!” said Captain Vishal Patangay, Master Mariner and Head of Customer Success of FrontM.
