Researchers at NTU Singapore developed LACE, an artificial-intelligence framework designed to help create algorithms for complex planning and optimization tasks.
In tests, LACE generated feasible algorithms for four new port-operations problems, including assigning vessels to berths and scheduling tugboats. Five other language-model-based approaches in the study did not produce a feasible algorithm for those same four problems.
NTU says the solutions generally took around an hour and cost less than US$10 in language-model and API costs. The team also tested LACE on 36 established optimization challenges and made its code and a demonstration publicly available.
LACE helps build planning tools rather than making individual decisions on its own. Possible uses in transport, hospitals or energy systems are future applications, not deployments reported in the study.
