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Unlocking the potential of AI in EU transport operations and connectivity: Key findings from an 
expert perspective

Experts are backing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make transport networks run more efficiently, but reliable services still start with infrastructure, according to the findings of the latest STA Expert Perception Tracker.

We are at a critical moment in the development and deployment of AI. Across the transport sector, there is growing discussion about its transformative potential and how AI-enabled solutions could help address some of the sector’s biggest challenges, from reducing our carbon footprint to improving safety, security and the performance of transport networks. However, as AI becomes increasingly integrated into transport systems and our everyday lives, it is essential to ensure that it serves the public interest and reflects our shared values.

The fourth edition of the Expert Perception Tracker, produced by the Smart Transportation Alliance, the Brussels-based not-for-profit global collaborative platform for transportation infrastructure innovation across modes, has focused on operations and connectivity and explored how transport professionals view the role of AI in network operations, safety and resilience, alongside the importance of infrastructure condition in ensuring reliable transport services. 

Overall, experts recognise AI’s potential to improve the performance of transport networks, but remain cautious about relying on it for safety and resilience. They continue to see the physical infrastructure as the foundation of reliable transport services.

The STA Expert Perception Tracker is a recurrent, short-format survey designed to capture expert sentiment and qualitative insights on key transport topics. The 4/2026 survey was held from 1 to 30 October 2026, gathering over 101 responses from transport professionals across 
22 countries.

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into transport systems and our everyday lives, it is essential to ensure that it serves the public interest and reflects our shared values

Key Findings 

Physical infrastructure remains the backbone of reliable transport services.

▪ The vast majority (90.1%) of respondents say that the condition and maintenance of infrastructures influence users’ access to reliable services, with only 9.9% supporting the opposite. The findings underline that reliable transport services depend not only on how networks are operated and managed, but also on the condition of the physical infrastructure supporting them. Infrastructure maintenance and operational performance therefore need to go hand in hand.

Experts recognise AI's potential to improve network performance, but its benefits are context-dependent.

▪ Over 86.1% of respondents believe that AI-enabled operational systems can improve transport network performance. However, 65.3% consider that these improvements depend on the specific context in which AI is applied, while only 20.8% expect consistent benefits across different applications. This suggests that, while experts recognise the potential of AI to improve transport operations, its effectiveness cannot be taken for granted. Its benefits depend on the application, the operational environment and how the technology is integrated into existing systems.

AI-based safety and resilience solutions still raise questions 
about their readiness.

▪ Experts are still sceptical when it comes to AI applications in safety and resilience, with only 5.9% of respondents consider AI-based safety and resilience systems ready for large-scale deployment. On the other hand, more than half (53.5%) believe these systems may be reliable in controlled settings but require further testing, while 33.7% say their reliability has not yet been demonstrated. Overall, 87.1% see potential in these technologies but believe further validation is needed before wider deployment, with 6.9% consider them insufficiently dependable.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Across four editions of the STA Expert Perception Tracker, and four topics, one consistent message has remained: around 9 in 10 experts keep pointing back to the infrastructure we already have, from preventive maintenance to infrastructure condition. And while they see clear potential in AI, they want it to prove itself first: AI is capable of unlocking new opportunities, creating a transport system that works for everyone, but only 5.9% consider that AI safety systems are ready for large-scale deployment.

In the forthcoming year, STA will launch a new series of the STA Expert Perception Tracker, exploring new topics that are shaping the future of transport infrastructures and continuing to bring Europe’s expert voices into the debate.

AI is capable of unlocking new opportunities, creating a transport system that works for everyone, but only 5.9% consider that AI safety systems are ready for large-scale deployment.