How AI Will Drive the Future of Energy: Key Takeaways from Jay Samit’s GPA Midstream Keynote

Jay Samit, who has worked with some of the world's best-known disruptors, said rapid advances in artificial intelligence will change how the energy industry works and the importance of the energy supply to make it run.

"Business as usual is dead. What got you here today won't work in the future," Samit said during his keynote address for the GPA Midstream Convention in San Antonio on Sept. 23. The consultant and author's numerous books include "Disrupt You" and "Future Proofing You."

Adapting to changes in how work gets done and problems are solved is essential to future success, he said. "A lot of people think security robs ambition. But there's no such thing. It's the illusion of security."

For midstream and the broader energy industry, there will be advantages to using AI to streamline operations, for better emissions detection and even catching impending equipment failure.

Every use of AI, however, uses massive amounts of energy and water. In the near term, Samit said AI will be responsible for 25% of energy demand in the U.S.

Samit mesmerized and terrified with stories, photos and videos around use of artificial intelligence. He said that more about the technology and its capabilities is being learned every day. He said AI has taken and will continue to take human jobs, which is something advancing technology has always done that. To illustrate the point, he displayed a slide showing dozens of apps that have replaced unskilled labor in recent times.

Samit's entertaining and enlightening presentation was a topic of conversation throughout the convention as attendees dissected his anecdotes, statistics and predictions about how AI could change the world.

There are social media "influencers" with millions of followers who are completely AI generated, Samit told attendees. He said the same technology can be used to put what appear to be words and motions into artificial "actors" or even likenesses of real people.

"This has freaked out Hollywood because actors are expensive," Samit said. Use of this capability was one of the issues prompting the Screen Actors Guild strike last year.

ChatGPT, the first widely available AI tool for consumers, was the fastest app to ever reach one million users.

AI programs and AI paired with humanoid robots are expected eliminate 73 million jobs nationwide over the next five years, Samit said. This includes white collar jobs and both skilled and unskilled labor. Samit said the number one job posting on employment sites is for truck drivers, but even that is on the cusp of being replaced with AI-controlled trucks now on the road. Driverless delivery trucks have been operating on the German Autobahn for five years now, although strong unions there have kept a human in the cab, he said.

Police departments are using AI to turn body cam video with some verbal additions from the officer into a detailed report. Some fully automated manufacturing plants are completely dark because the robots don't need light to work.

One big question, however, is if AI can be trusted? Some AI programs have given false information in AI generated reports and even legal documents citing made up court cases as precedent.

AI also can't easily get past Captcha hurdles that require a user to identify certain items like traffic lights or bridges from an array of pictures. The AI program, however, figured out there were services for the visually impaired to get through security measures. He said the AI contacted such a service and when asked if it was a robot, responded "no" - a premeditated lie told to achieve an objective.

Samit said some AI limitations come from being trained on content generated by humans. He showed images generated by AI asked to provide illustrations of World War II soldiers. Some of them showed Asian faces in Nazi garb. AI also doesn't do well with fingers and toes, often rendering six-fingered hands.

Even with flaws, AI and other emerging technologies are here to stay, and individuals and industries will have to adapt, Samit said. The PC connected people to an intelligent machine, the internet to a vast array of knowledge, and the mobile phone to other people, he said.

"AI is connecting us to a higher intelligence," Samit told attendees. "We are no longer the smartest kid on the block, We are no longer driving the train."

Preparing for this will take a commitment to lifelong learning and the mindset that "the future can be a better place, and I have the power to make it so," Samit said. "Every obstacle is an opportunity in disguise."

"You'll never discover the big idea sitting behind a desk," Samit. "You have to do something you've never done. You have to get out of your comfort zone."

The key to disruptive thinking is to have insight and perseverance, Samit said. "Everything else can be delegated."

From an energy perspective, Samit said AI is a good thing for the industry. AI's use in oil and gas includes exploration and drilling, completion execution, anomaly detection in pipelines, safety monitoring, and emissions reductions. His presentation included a slide that indicated AI may use up to 25% of all electricity in the U.S. by 2030.

Samit urged attendees to be excited about overcoming obstacles and embracing change. He encouraged people to become innovators within their organizations.

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