Routescanner’s path to trustworthy, transparent AI with Software Improvement Group
At a glance
- Challenge: Establish stakeholder trust by independently verifying the trustworthiness of an advanced AI system for routing containers.
- Approach: An independent assessment from Software Improvement Group (SIG) through in-depth code review, data analysis, process quality review, and extensive experiments.
- Result: SIG confirmed the routing engine is trustworthy: best-practice controls are in place and routes are selected based on optimization goals, not specific ports or operators. This strengthened trust and aligned with Routescanner’s transparency and sustainability values.
Introduction
Routescanner is a platform that enables planning of container routes by transit times, carrier reliability, enabling shippers, forwarders, and ports to make informed and sustainable decisions. This case study outlines how Routescanner worked with Software Improvement Group (SIG) to independently validate the trustworthiness of its AI-driven routing engine, reinforcing trust among stakeholders and supporting its commitment to transparency and sustainability.
The challenge
Proving AI trust in a skeptical market
Routescanner’s ambition to offer a “Google Maps for container transport” encountered a critical adoption barrier: stakeholder trust. Ports worldwide questioned whether the routing system can be trusted to make correct and fair decisions, particularly given Routescanner’s origin as a Port of Rotterdam spin-off.
The use of AI—characterised by inherent opacity and emergent behaviour—made trustworthiness harder to assess and bias harder to detect. Addressing these concerns quickly was essential to build stakeholder confidence.
Independent AI trustworthiness assessment by SIG
Engineering process quality
SIG assessed how Routescanner’s architecture, implementation and data processes supported trustworthy AI outcomes. Attention was given to governance, documentation, algorithmic approach, trustworthiness controls, and audit traceability of the routing logic—providing assurance that quality considerations were built into the way the system is developed and maintained.
Deep source-code and data analysis
SIG conducted detailed analysis of the source code and underlying data to determine how the system is implemented. The review examined whether optimization behavior was influenced by hidden bias or unintended prioritization of specific ports or carriers, and confirmed alignment with the stated optimization criteria: time, reliability, and emissions.
Bias analysis & experiment design
In collaboration with Routescanner, SIG designed and executed experiments to analyze neutrality across different ports, carriers, and route configurations. The objective was clear: routing decisions must reflect optimization goals—not operator or port favouritism.
“Routescanner selects the best routing options solely based on optimization goals and not because of any specific operators or ports involved.” – Rob van der Veer, Chief AI Officer, SIG
Working with Software Improvement Group
SIG’s independent, fact-based consultancy approach helped Routescanner move from trust gap to transparent validation.
- Objective baseline: SIG began with an independent assessment of the system’s logic, data, and engineering practices.
- Independent verification: Through code review, data analysis, and targeted experiments, SIG validated that routing decisions met the neutrality criteria.
- Stakeholder readiness: The outcome provided Routescanner with independently verified proof to clearly communicate AI neutrality to ports, carriers, and customers.
Result: Trust reinforced
The assessment confirmed that Routescanner’s routing engine and the processes involved can be trusted.
This has:
- Strengthened stakeholder trust across ports and carriers.
- Enabled Routescanner to reinforce its transparency and sustainability commitments.
- Positioned the company more competitively, with validation of its AI-routing system as trustworthy and neutral.
“Now, users can be even more confident that our optimizations will genuinely provide them with the best results.” – Kevin Kruijthoff, Director of Product & Technology, Routescanner
SIG is proud to have played a key role in propelling technology that is bringing positive change in the container shipping industry, transforming it, and adding transparency, openness, and sustainability into the transport of 250 million containers a year.
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