As the world grapples with the challenges of climate change and strives for sustainable solutions, AI has emerged as a powerful tool to optimize operations, enhance efficiency, and drive innovation in the energy sector and in industrial applications. 

Here’s a roundup of some of the latest stories and use cases of AI in the field. 

How O&G is Leveraging AI

Reuters put out a report that covers how upstream oil and gas companies are using AI throughout their operations. The report quotes research firm EY, which found that, “92% of oil and gas players are investing in AI or plan to do so in the next two years. Half of the companies surveyed are already using AI to solve organizational problems.” 

The report highlights recent developments in O&G companies using AI:

• Shell using SparkCognition AI systems to evaluate seismic data related to new oil reservoirs, as part of moves to boost offshore output

• The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, SLB (formerly Schlumberger) and AIQ launching an AI system for reservoir analysis and field development

• Project Canary using AI to help control methane leaks for U.S. shale basin operators

• Equinor auto-generating well paths as part of a project called Artificial Intelligence Maturation

• Oxy using AI alongside robots and drones for predictive maintenance

Reuters also covered challenges—like legacy infrastructure and ethical concerns—and the outlook for the future of AI in energy.

Current and Future AI Applications in O&G

AiThority broke down AI applications by what’s possible now and what’s planned for the future. Current AI applications in oil and gas include:

• Drilling and well optimization

• Production optimization

• Environmental impact and sustainability

Future applications, where many advancements are happening, include:

• Advanced-data analytics and machine learning algorithms

• Robotics and automation

• Predictive analytics and forecasting

• Integration of renewable energy

The AI Revolution

10/12 Industry Report talked to oil and gas experts about their thoughts on AI and how their companies are using it in the field. ExxonMobil and Shell are highlighted, along with BBP Sales, an industry automation provider. 

“With data in a central place and standardized in the same way, AI algorithms can help automate the insights that a company is looking for,” said Michael Brauer, vice president of operations at BBP Sales.

Coila LaFleur, enterprise architect at ExxonMobil Baton Rouge, said, “One of the big challenges is how do we take all of our 3D scans, all of those data-driven models, and bring it to a place where people can get to it?”

“We are still at the early phases, but we are already seeing significant gains in our ability to avoid trips to the field and maximize efficiency of maintenance planning,” said David Mustain, Shell’s digitalization and innovation lead in Geismar.

AI Improving Grid Resilience

Jack Curtis of Neara wrote in Smart Energy International about how AI is improving grid resilience and paving the way for a cleaner future. The three ways he discussed the impact are:

• AI is redefining the potential of digital modeling by facilitating hyper-accurate real-life network representation

• AI augments field surveys with unprecedented context and consistency

• AI’s core pattern-matching strengths represent a critical unlock for the clean energy transition

25 Industrial AI Use Cases

ARC Advisory Group put out an article listing 25 potential use cases for AI for sustainable business outcomes. Categories include:

• Product development and design

• Supply chain planning and execution

• Production operations

• Sales and service

• Workforce management

9 More O&G AI Use Cases

Last but not least, Appinventiv laid out what they see as 9 compelling use cases for AI in oil and gas. 

• 1. Demand forecasting

• 2. Predictive maintenance

• 3. Oil exploration

• 4. Handle price fluctuations

• 5. Improve safety

• 6. RPA for back-office tasks

• 7. Oil spill and hydrocarbon detection and response

• 8. Regulatory compliance

• 9. AI-driven supply-chain management

These are the big stories we found in O&G AI. Have more to add? Send stories to editor@stonefortgroup.com. 

Want to hear all the details on AI Case Studies, Playbooks and Real-World Deployments in Energy? Be sure to attend energAIze: Energy AI Forum @ Industrial Immersive Week, March 5-7, 2024 in Houston, TX