New TRL report proposes framework for better adoption of AI in the transport

TRL has published a report on the potential application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the transport sector. Setting out to address the premise that while many industries are rapidly embracing AI, the transport sector is struggling to keep pace, the report draws on a series of workshops organised by TRL with stakeholders from across the public, private, and academic sectors.

Bridging the Gap: Overcoming the Barriers to AI Adoption in Transport identifies the major obstacles preventing AI from reaching its full potential in transport. These are:

• Data discoverability and quality

• Infrastructure for AI integration

• Regulation and governance

• Skills and workforce readiness

• Decision-making and accountability

• Public trust and social acceptance

• Cost to implement

• Environmental impacts

Despite these barriers, the report nevertheless argues the consensus is clear: AI offers significant potential to improve safety, efficiency, and sustainability in transport – if deployed thoughtfully and at scale.

The report, says TRL, furthermore highlights the need for a coordinated effort across the transport industry to create an AI-ready ecosystem, ensuring that AI can effectively support a future efficient, safe and sustainable transport system.

It also highlights practical insights from real-world attempts to use AI and concludes with five key opportunities for the sector to enable faster, wider adoption. These provide a shared framework for decision-makers and innovators across the industry, which covers:

• Establishing clear governance and regulation

• Balancing innovation and security through collaboration

• Enhancing technical skills and expertise

• Building public confidence in AI adoption

• Ensuring investment in infrastructure to support innovation and impact

Writing in the foreword Richard Cuerden, Director of the TRL Academy and Honorary Professor of Transport Safety at the University of Nottingham says, “the choices we now face must focus on taking on the ‘perilous conduct’ of leadership. Specifically, how will we enable the best AI solutions to be adopted at scale? The alternative is to be passive and watch on, as AI inefficiently and undemocratically integrates into the journeys we make, impacting accessibility, efficiency, choice, safety, cost, and data privacy and security. This passive option is unattractive, not least because it carries much greater risks to our economy, communities, and environment.”

Download the full report TRL | Bridging the gap: Overcoming the barriers to AI adoption in transport