Marine AI, Autonomy, and the Internet of Things in the Law of the Sea

How do we reconcile the law of the sea with the proliferation of marine AI, autonomy, and the Internet of Things (IoT) that operate seamlessly across jurisdictional boundaries? Join the UC Berkeley Law of the Sea Institute for a lecture by Dr. James Kraska, proposing a model for the distribution of jurisdiction of these innovations in the oceans within the law of the sea.

 

The law of the sea provides rules for presence, navigation, operations, and jurisdiction at sea. These rules reflect coastal state sovereignty in the territorial sea, archipelagic waters, and international straits, coastal state sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and on the continental shelf, and international governance over the high seas and the deep seabed Area. 

 

AI is accelerating at sea through autonomous, recoverable, or expendable marine instruments and devices, floaters, gliders, “ocean data acquisition systems (ODAS),” unmanned surface vehicles, innumerable surface and underwater vehicles, smart buoys, and seabed installations and structures. The IoT is expanding in the maritime domain, with “SMART” submarine communications cables, biologging from marine fauna, and a growing number of sensors for oceanographic, meteorological, scientific, commercial, and naval intelligence sensors and weapons. The rapid advance of these technologies in the water column, on the seabed, and in the airspace above the oceans poses novel challenges to the governance structure in the law of the sea. 

 

Lunch will be provided for those who register to attend in person. For those joining the webinar, the lecture will begin shortly after 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

 

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Dr. James Kraska

James Kraska is Charles H. Stockton Chair of International Maritime Law and Department Chair of the Stockton Center for International Law at the U.S. Naval War College and Visiting Professor of Law and John Harvey Gregory Lecturer on World Organization at Harvard Law School, where he teaches a popular course on the International Law of the Sea. Professor Kraska’s research focuses on the law of the sea, the regulation of marine technology, and the law of naval warfare. He has also served as a visiting professor at the University of the Philippines and Gujarat National Law University. He previously served on the faculty of Duke University Marine Laboratory in the Nicholas School of the Environment and the Marine Policy Center, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. His most recent books are “Incidents at Sea in U.S. Diplomacy and International Law” (with Raul Pedrozo) (forthcoming Oxford University Press 2026) and “Marine Technology, Ocean Governance, and the Law of the Sea” (with Khanssa Lagdami) (forthcoming Cambridge University Press 2026). Professor Kraska served as a Navy judge advocate and earned a professional doctorate in law from the Maurer School at Indiana University and research doctorate in law from the University of Virginia.

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