Article details
According to Bain & Company's 2026 ENR Executive Survey, 68% of energy executives expect AI to have a transformative effect on business performance over the next decade. Yet fewer than 20% report measurable, scaled impact today.
The gap between AI pilots and production-scale deployment hasn't narrowed. Industry estimates suggest that up to 70% of AI projects never reach full operational deployment. Nearly half of energy executives cite unclear project outcomes or weak links to business value as the primary obstacle. Talent shortages and poor data governance rank second and third.
Gartner metrics highlight the issue’s size: 63% of organisations lack proper data management practices for AI, and 60% of AI projects unsupported by AI-ready data will be abandoned through 2026.
Who is actually getting it right? Aker BP’s partnership with Cognite delivered AI applications that cut engineering time by over 70%. TotalEnergies is deploying AI-ready data platforms across all its operated E&P assets worldwide.
Bain's analysis identifies four pillars of success: a narrow strategic focus, organisational redesign around AI, building sufficient data foundations and creating a repeatable engine for scaling.
Every challenge described above already has a solution in development. Automa 2026 is where it comes into view. A leading annual B2B event covering the entire oil and gas value chain, it brings together professionals for networking and practical discussion on digital transformation. The agenda reflects exactly what the sector needs to solve:
🎙️ Michel Teughels (ExxonMobil) - scaling industrial AI from pilot to measurable business impact
🎙️ Anandh Rajappa (TCS UK & Europe) - moving beyond simple automation to truly autonomous AI decision-making
🎙️ Ramin Rahnama (Wood) - AI as the engine of operational intelligence;
🎙️ Francesco Legname (OMV Group) - using AI to transform project data into predictive foresight.
Automa 2026 brings together over 190 companies and 260+ arranged B2B meetings in Amsterdam on 5-6 October. The agenda, packed with speakers from Shell, Repsol, Fluor, Linde, MOL Group and others, is built around practical case studies and technical exchanges.
For leaders who don't have time for theories: https://sh.bgs.group/4xi