Sharjah, UAE – 14 October 2026: Sharjah Maritime Academy (SMA) has launched SMA LearnAI, an agentic artificial intelligence platform designed to transform teaching and learning through personalised educational experiences, intelligent academic support and faculty-led innovation.
Fully integrated with the Academy’s Learning Management System (LMS) and enabled across all courses, the platform marks a significant step in SMA’s digital transformation strategy, embedding artificial intelligence into the academic learning environment while maintaining educators’ oversight of content quality and delivery.
“Artificial intelligence is reshaping the maritime industry, and maritime education must evolve alongside it. At Sharjah Maritime Academy, we see AI not simply as a technological advancement, but as an opportunity to rethink how knowledge is delivered, experienced and applied. Through SMA LearnAI, we are integrating intelligent learning technologies into our academic ecosystem while keeping educators at the centre of the learning process. Our ambition is to prepare maritime professionals who are not only equipped to adapt to technological change, but also capable of leading it.”-- Dr. Hashim Alzaabi, Chancellor of Sharjah Maritime Academy
Unlike conventional digital learning tools, SMA LearnAI uses agentic AI capabilities to transform existing course materials into interactive, multimodal learning experiences. Students can engage with an AI-powered virtual professor, explore visual presentations, listen to educational podcasts, and use mind maps to connect complex concepts. AI-generated flashcards and quizzes further support independent learning, knowledge retention and examination preparation.
The platform also introduces an AI Copilot for faculty, providing course-specific workspaces and tools to develop structured learning pathways, lesson plans, educational content and automatically graded assessments integrated with the Learning Management System. Through course-level insights, educators can identify challenging topics and recognise students who may benefit from additional academic support, enabling more informed teaching interventions.
A central feature of SMA LearnAI is its human-in-the-loop governance approach.AI-generated educational content undergoes reviewer approval before being released to students or published through the Learning Management System, ensuring that academic judgement, quality assurance and faculty account ability remain integral to the learning process.
The launch reflects SMA’s broader commitment to advancing maritime education in response to technological developments reshaping the global maritime industry. By integrating emerging AI capabilities into its academic ecosystem, the Academy aims to strengthen digital competencies, encourage independent learning and prepare future maritime professionals for an increasingly technology-driven sector.
Through SMA LearnAI, Sharjah Maritime Academy is positioning artificial intelligence not as a replacement for educators, but as a tool to enhance their expertise, expand learning opportunities and support student success.
