Artificial intelligence is one of the mostexciting technological advancements to reshape our society in living memory,yet few people have a robust understanding of AI and the myriad of ways thatits changing our world. Nowhere is AI more important and disruptive than inthe energy sector, where professionals from a wide range of backgrounds arefinding it immensely helpful. Nevertheless, the role of AI in the oil and gassector is still largely misunderstood, and many potential entrants to theindustry have no idea where to begin brushing up on this complex topic.

Heres a breakdown of how AI is disruptingoil and gas, and why intelligent machines will be imperative to the future ofthe energy sector.

AIisnt coming its already here

If theres an easy way to describe the roleof AI in the oil and gas sector, its that this technology has already becomean ingrained part of how energy companies and professionals achieve theirobjectives. Oil and gas companies have historically been massive collectors ofdata; if well workers couldnt access huge treasure troves of data about theregion theyre operating in, for instance, they would never be able to succeedat their jobs while ensuring workplace safety and cost-effectiveness. Thismeans that the oil and gas sector was ripe for disruption by AI, which morethan anything else desperately needs massive volumes of information to workeffectively.

AI beganto take over the oil and gas sector in no small part because it was alreadyreplete with a tremendous amount of data surrounding ongoing drillingoperations and planned future initiatives. Predictive algorithms were capableof digesting huge volumes of previously collected data before generating newinsights that contemporary oil and gas professionals simply wouldnt have beencapable of producing without the assistance of intelligent machines. Itwill thus become imperative for future oil and gas workers to be familiar andcomfortable with computers if they want to remain successful in their field forvery long.

More than anything else, those workers whorely upon complex software to manage their responsibilities are findingthemselves disrupted by AI. This mostly isnt a negative process, however;while AI-led disruption may temporarily perplex workers, its not renderingthem obsolete. Many claims that AI and similar innovations would result inwidespread joblessness havent come true. This is mostly because many of thepeople making such predictions were critics of AI and related technologies andthus argued that job loss would occur after adopting it in an effort to preventits adoption.

The cat is out of the bag, however, andtheres no stopping AI now that its become a regular facet of the oil and gassector. As areport from EY makes clear, areas of the industry that are under siege bychanging market conditions can benefit from AI by relying on it to cut down onoperational costs while simultaneously catching errors that the human eye wouldnever notice.

Reservoirsarent so intimidating

One of the most impressive ways that AI hasdisrupted the oil and gas sector is by rendering reservoirs more accessiblethan ever before. Previously, companies shied away from drilling in certainareas because they were unsure of the probability of success. Now, however, simulatedprograms that are managed by AI can create impressiveknowledge graphs that incorporate the regions geophysics and otherreservoir project information. Companies that were once worried about payingfor expensive oiland gas training courses can thus avoid wasting their money on frivoloustraining procedures by using programs to determine whether a reservoir is worthpursuing in the first place.

Precision drilling is also ensuring thatreservoirs that were previously accessible can now be exploited to a fullerand more profitable extent. This means that many projects that oil and gasexecutives thought were winding down can instead be reinvigorated with the helpof AI-led drilling, which is far more precise and productive than thatexclusively managed by humans. Field surveillance, too, will be made mucheasier and far cheaper when its simultaneously managed by man and machineworking together rather than one of them operating by their lonesome.

Finally, AI is also making the oil and gassector safer than ever before. Smart helmets and other wearable technologythat workers carry with them will ensure that those who are stuck in trickysituations will enjoy closer monitoring from their peers. Thismeans that workers who find themselves imperiled will have outsiders aware ofthat trouble coming to rescue them sooner than ever before.

From project maintenance to worker safety,AI is disrupting and benefiting the oil and gas industry so much that itsalmost difficult to keep track of all the innovations its introducing to thefield. Before long, we can expect AI to become a normal and almost mundaneaspect of the oil and gas world.

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AI Is Shaking The Oil And Gas Sector To Its Core | Articles | Chief Data Officer - Innovation Enterprise