Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the engineering landscape, reshaping how problems are approached, solutions are designed, and systems are optimized. For upstream energy operations, AI is redefining the pathways to innovation and efficiency. In the exploration and production (E&P) sector, this transformation extends beyond the nature of tasks to the very skills required to perform them.
Modern engineering is increasingly data-driven and physics-informed. AI empowers engineers to extract actionable insights from vast datasets, emphasizing the importance of digitization, metadata quality, and machine readability—foundational pillars for successful AI deployment. While technological advancements have historically reshaped work in exploration, drilling, and production, the scope of tasks addressable by AI now far exceeds that of previous technologies. In upstream operations, AI is set to revolutionize subsurface data interpretation, production forecasting, and reservoir management. These shifts are not only technological but also organizational, as job roles evolve toward analytical and decision-support functions. This transformation necessitates a proactive understanding of the nature and extent of this change. For petroleum engineers and geoscientists, this understanding means moving beyond traditional workflows to master a new suite of analytical and decision-support tools that are redefining their role and shaping the future of the industry.
Building on the 2024 SPE AI Forum, this forum delves into the transformative impact of continued advancements in AI technologies, intelligent workflows, and new software and hardware on the engineering and geoscience domains as well as the workforce. Key upstream E&P topical questions for discussions will include:
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What fundamental skills will preserve the human edge?
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Can AI ever truly acquire the tacit knowledge and intuition?
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How can we build trust in AI models?
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How do we architect a new human-AI symbiotic future?
