Artificial Intelligence is often seen as the answer to everything in a digital future – but when it comes to transport, the reality is more complex. While many industries are rapidly embracing AI, the transport sector is struggling to keep pace.

To understand why, TRL brought together over 60 stakeholders from across the public, private, and academic sectors in a series of workshops. The findings are now published in a new report: “Bridging the Gap: Overcoming the Barriers to AI Adoption in Transport.”

The report identifies the major obstacles preventing AI from reaching its full potential in transport, including:

• Lack of infrastructure to support AI applications
• Low levels of AI literacy and limited workforce upskilling
• Public distrust of AI-enabled systems
• Concerns about environmental impact

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

The report 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 recommendations provide a shared framework for decision-makers and innovators across the industry.