It’s no secret that the so-called tentacles of ChatGPT — the natural language processing tool that is driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and created by the AI research firm OpenAI — will be far-reaching, impacting virtually every industry imaginable, from healthcare to manufacturing and everything in between.

The ChatGPT app, which is available for free on the OpenAI website, can autonomously answer questions, compose essays and emails, write code, translate text, describe works of art, have philosophical discussions, make grocery and other types of lists, and much more.

However, its use extends beyond the household and the classroom, and it is being eyed for a host of other industries. Follow along with GlobalSpec for an ongoing series examining how ChatGPT is being used in specific industries, beginning with the oil and gas industry.

The oil and gas industry — also known as the petroleum industry — involves the exploration, extraction, refining, transportation and marketing of petroleum products, with the most significant byproduct of the industry being fuel oil and gasoline. Because this industry is rich with data, experts suggest that it is likely to be dramatically transformed by the AI chatbot.

Training, education and knowledge

Serving as a sort of warehouse of knowledge, ChatGPT can be used to transfer knowledge on all topics associated with the oil and gas industry to new and current employees. The chatbot can answer technical questions about the industry, train new employees, provide training simulations and communicate knowledge across the board. Further, ChatGPT can reportedly be used to customize training materials, offer suggestions about best practices and offer employees and trainees alike the latest in industry insights. This warehouse of training and knowledge can ensure a skilled oil and gas workforce, according to experts.

Data, data and more data

Making the oil and gas industry a prime candidate for the type of automation promised by ChatGPT is the amount of data — real time and otherwise — available from sources such as seismic surveys, well logs, production rates, reservoir simulations, and geological and sensor data from equipment. This data can reportedly be processed, analyzed and visualized by ChatGPT, thereby enabling engineers, geoscientists and every profession under the oil and gas umbrella to improve their decision-making concerning drilling operations, drilling risks, production, completion. and much more Making such data understandable to oil and gas professionals can help them to identify trends, patterns and anomalies that would be easy to miss if observed manually. The identification of such patterns could likely lead to accurate prediction-making, improved reservoir management, increased production and much more, according to experts.

Reporting/documentation/paperwork

In order to be safe, operationally efficient and compliant, the oil and gas industry has to rely heavily on documentation. To simplify this step, experts suggest that ChatGPT can perform tasks such as report generation, thereby saving time and reducing human error. To accomplish this, ChatGPT could potentially be integrated with data sources like sensors, databases, monitoring systems and internet of things (IoT) devices, for collecting and processing information from oil and gas operations. Using this data, ChatGPT can generate reports, the automation of which will likely ensure that oil and gas professionals can turn their attention to more critical tasks while automating the creation of accurate and up-to-date documentation and consequently, compliance.

Predictive maintenance/preventive measures

ChatGPT is also being eyed for use in the predictive maintenance of the equipment used in the oil and gas sector. Predictive maintenance, which helps to reduce equipment failure and subsequently, downtime, could potentially be improved when used in conjunction with the AI-driven chatbot. It can reportedly be used to analyze historical data, predict issues and even identify patterns in equipment performance. Further, any issues determined could serve to alert oil and gas stakeholders to potential problems in advance, thereby ensuring that they take preventive measures to extend the life of equipment and potentially reduce maintenance costs.

To accomplish this, ChatGPT could possibly be used in conjunction with IoT devices like sensors that could reveal information about equipment performance and maintenance history, for example. Likewise, with ChatGPT analyzing such equipment data, the chatbot can also detect equipment anomalies or signs of equipment degradation.

Environment

Experts suggest that ChatGPT can help to reduce the environmental impact of the oil and gas industry. The platform can be used to monitor the oil and gas environment for water pollution, air quality and impact on wildlife, for example. Further the chatbot can reportedly analyze oil and gas processes via available data to determine ways to minimize waste, improve energy efficiency or identify scenarios wherein the oil and gas industry could potentially transition to renewable energy sources.

Emergencies

Processing real-time data from sensors and other monitoring systems, ChatGPT can be used to identify possible emergency scenarios like fires, pipeline leaks and equipment failures. Additionally, that data can be turned into real-time alerts by ChatGPT, according to its developers.

ChatGPT could also potentially be used to train oil and gas employees about signs to look out for. Further, ChatGPT can be used to perform analysis of data following an actual emergency, demonstrating where improvements can be made to avoid such issues in the future.

Conclusion

We are not even scratching the surface of what ChatGPT can do for various industries. As such, readers can expect this topic to be covered regularly by GlobalSpec. Check back with GlobalsSpec as we explore the impact ChatGPT will have on industries such as manufacturing, healthcare and everything in between.