Energy companies deploy AI for subsurface mapping and data extraction
Oil and gas operators across the Permian Basin are adopting artificial intelligence to analyze geological data, streamline permitting workflows, and improve decision-making on capital expenditures, according to panelists at a recent industry seminar in Midland.
The applications vary widely. Yogashri Pradhan, founder of Iron Lady Energy Advisors, said companies use AI to monitor geologic features and map subsurface faults. The technology examines historical data to identify sites that could be seismically sensitive.
University Lands uses AI to extract information from documents, permits, and plats that operators submit. Wil Vark, business solutions and application development manager, said this frees analysts from manual data entry so they can focus on analysis instead.
Akash Sharma, vice president of product management at Enverus, framed AI as a tool to achieve specific outcomes. "How do we leverage these tools to meet outcomes?" he said. The technology can connect AI-generated data with existing datasets to provide a fuller picture of expected production and opportunities for well participants.
AI complements human judgment, doesn't replace it
Panelists emphasized that AI remains a support tool. It cannot replace human judgment, particularly in approving authorizations for expenditures, or AFEs.
Sharma said AI excels at extracting summaries from contracts-work that normally falls to landmen and analysts. But the technology has a critical limitation: it generates a response regardless of whether it understands the question.
"The mission of AI is to give a response," Vark said. "It never says 'I don't know' even if it doesn't understand the question. Be careful and check against the response."
Job security and data sensitivity remain barriers
Fear that AI will eliminate positions is the biggest misconception slowing adoption, according to the panelists. Pradhan pointed out the gap between transferring decades of experience to a machine and using AI as a decision-support tool.
"How do you transfer 30 years of experience to AI?" she asked. "It's not AI, it's you making decisions. AI is helping you make those decisions."
Companies also worry about protecting sensitive information when training AI systems. Henkhaus, vice president of product at Enverus, cited the need for transparency and citations in AI outputs as essential for industry adoption.
Vark advised operations teams to stay informed about AI developments. "The best strategy is to be aware of AI and what's happening," he said. "AI will become a layer that's invisible but a part of how we use technology."
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