Trust, human capital, and regulations vital for AI scaling
The challenges of launching and scaling AI innovations in the energy sector were highlighted in the panel discussion titled ‘Responsible AI and advanced technology investment.’
It started with a mention of the 2025 AI in Business report by Massachusetts Institute of Technology; it stated that 85% of companies that invested in AI reported no tangible return from their investment.
Rakesh Jaggi, President of Digital & Integration at SLB, explained that his company is on a mission to ensure that this is not the case for the oil and gas industry, and that the success of AI technologies depends on a number of factors.
“Your technologies must be implementable across multiple assets and geographies,” he began.
“The data must be trusted and accurate, and the way that the technologies are used must be managed, too. This is especially important when you are asking people to work in a very different way to how they have worked for decades. Lastly, AI solutions should be cost effective, and sustainable over time. Otherwise, you might find that they are successful for a couple of years, then fail to progress any further.”
“A lot of solution providers, institutes, and universities see the UAE as a kind of live lab; a sandbox that connects the technology with the regulations. It’s also a place that has strong guidelines for innovators.”
- Dr. Najwa Aaraj, CEO at the Technology Innovation Institute (TII)
Cyber security was also mentioned as a critical issue for customers. Harrison Lung, Group Chief Strategy Officer at e&, said that he and his team are working on helping companies collect data in a responsible manner, and generate accurate insights.
“Our data-enablement platforms have the potential to assist entire governments and different societies,” he began.
“So, the most interesting thing for us is the monetisation side of using data and AI in different industries, including in the oil and gas sector.”
Areije Al Shakar, Chief Executive Officer of BeVentures, added that she is inundated with different technology solutions for the oil and gas sector.
When identifying emerging innovations that have the potential to generate sustainable returns and transform the energy sector, she said that she always asks herself certain questions.
“It is important to look at what they are trying to solve, how they can be scaled, and how they will create revenue,” she explained.
“After all, it costs a lot of money to implement AI. We also look at the mindset of the team behind the solution. We ask ourselves: is this just another service provider? Or are they really pushing us to innovate and move forward?”
Dr. Najwa Aaraj, CEO at the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) said that many AI innovators are drawn to the UAE because of the infrastructure and resources it offers.
“A lot of solution providers, institutes, and universities see the UAE as a kind of live lab; a sandbox that connects the technology with the regulations. It’s also a place that has strong guidelines for innovators," she declared.
Aaraj went on to use the example of the clear government framework that the UAE has implemented for autonomous systems: “It states that companies must follow explainable AI, and auditable AI guidelines, and provide a way for humans to be included in the system, too.
“When a country like the UAE is active in AI deployment, but at the same time sets clear regulatory frameworks, it naturally attracts more startups, and makes the environment easier to market."
Gary Hicok, Executive Board Chair of Utilidata, commented on the importance of building and maintaining trust in AI technologies.
“You need to make sure that data is consistent, coherent, and tested, ideally by a third party outside of your company,” he said.
“It’s also vital to use known and proven cyber security techniques all the way through, including in your software and your hardware platforms.”
