Advantages: AIS improves maritime safety by providing ships and shore-based authorities with real-time vessel tracking and collision avoidance information. It enhances situational awareness, improves efficiency, and reduces operational costs for vessel operators. Disadvantages: AIS may be unreliable in some situations, such as when vessels turn off their transponders or in areas with poor signal coverage. The system is vulnerable to hacking and cyber attacks, which can compromise the accuracy and reliability of the information transmitted.