Commercial Divers

Some commercial diving tasks are being handled by robots today. For example, new underwater drones (ROVs/AUVs) can inspect ship hulls, oil rigs and pipelines using cameras and sensors ^[1]. These robots can map structures in 3D and flag cracks or damage automatically – jobs that used to require a diver’s camera ^{[1] [2]}.

In one project, an AI system guides ROVs with suction tools to find and grab trash or debris from the seafloor, tasks once done by divers ^[3]. Similarly, start-ups have built hull-cleaning robots that climb a ship’s side with magnets and do video inspections and cleaning (instead of sending a diver) ^{[4] [5]}. In short, routine work like taking photos of pipelines or clearing fouling can be automated or done with robot helpers.

However, many core jobs still need people. Activities like teaching new divers, making quick decisions underwater, or actually swimming down with gear are hard to automate. Experts note that divers are still important for complex or shallow-water work, even though robots make deep or dangerous jobs safer ^{[2] [4]}.

Robots are already attractive where they can save lives or time. Companies deploy underwater bots in high-risk or busy areas (for example, Hong Kong bans human hull inspections, so robots do them ^[4]). Using robots also cuts costs from injuries or fines and can improve efficiency.

One hull-cleaning company now has dozens of robots working at over 50 ports, helping ships save fuel ^{[5] [4]}. On the other hand, adopting AI is not always easy. Underwater robots and their AI can be costly and complicated to run, especially for smaller diving jobs.

Industries must buy expensive ROV gear and train operators. Robots also struggle with rough conditions – cables can tangle and muddy water can hide damage ^{[2] [3]}. Finally, many legal and safety rules around diving still assume people do the work.

For all these reasons, automation in diving is growing gradually, not overnight. In the meantime, human divers’ unique skills – their judgment, creativity and leadership – remain very valuable for this field.