Jim Chappell on Advancing Industrial Operations with AI – Technology Record

Rebecca Gibson |
July 30, 2024

AI-powered software is already helping companies across the industrial sector work more efficiently and effectively, reduce equipment downtime and improve environmental sustainability. AVEVA has already natively integrated the technology into its new CONNECT industrial cloud platform to help companies analyze data for actionable insights. It is currently working with Microsoft to develop a generative AI-powered assistant that will be added to the CONNECT platform in 2024 and will provide a subject matter expert at any time to help workers with multiple tasks.

Jim Chappell, Global Head of AI and Advanced Analytics at AVEVA, explains how AI is evolving and why AI-based solutions will help industrial enterprises become more efficient and sustainable.

Achieving net zero emissions is a key priority for industries today. How can AI-powered software help reduce carbon emissions – both now and in the future?

AI-based solutions are already delivering huge sustainability benefits across all industries. These technologies are enabling organizations to reduce fuel consumption, improve carbon capture, lower emissions and maximize the life cycles of their equipment.

AI-powered software can help industrial companies design faster through suggestive design and simulation, operate at optimal production levels for maximum efficiency, and identify inefficient assets. It can also enable them to provide decision support to connected workers, reduce waste for maximum productivity, and detect potential equipment failures before they occur. All of these advances directly contribute to individually and collectively ending global industrial emissions.

AVEVA recently launched its CONNECT industrial cloud platform, which provides a single interface for cloud and on-premises applications via a flexible subscription model. How will AI be implemented across the platform and drive its performance?

AI is natively embedded in CONNECT applications, enabling organizations to operate intelligently by harnessing the value of their data through machine learning, intelligent visualization, and advanced analytics. Additionally, both on-premises and cloud data can be sent to CONNECT Data Services for analysis with AI-powered analytics to drive optimal operational efficiency and sustainability gains.

Later in 2024, AVEVA will introduce its AI industrial assistant to CONNECT. The patent-pending solution is based on generative AI and a large language model (LLM) that is specifically tailored for industries to help customers intuitively locate and analyze data for peak performance. Users can also ask complex questions, such as why their plant is operating at lower production levels today compared to last month. The AI ​​industrial assistant breaks down that question into its component parts, then searches across multiple data sources to identify the root cause and provide the user with a consolidated answer.

How will AVEVA’s industrial AI assistant support enterprises and enable them to become more efficient and sustainable?

Our industrial AI assistant combines LLM, generative AI and patented AVEVA technology to analyze customer data, find issues and help resolve issues faster. Users can now ask questions in natural language with minimal setup. They can also ask goal-oriented questions, meaning more complex, multi-step requests can be completed in a single action. This can be automatically combined with other types of AI, such as predictive analytics, to detect asset and process issues early on, enabling industries to quickly improve the efficiency of their operations, thereby reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Supported by an intuitive AI-powered interface, industrial teams can leverage LLM technology, which is built on AVEVA’s more than 50 years of industry experience, to achieve their goals.

What does the future hold for industry-ready LLMs?

Today, industrial LLMs are humanizing AI so that users can get more value from their data. This capability is expected to evolve and grow, which will gradually and exponentially help our customers get value from everything we do and software functionality.

This is a big step towards Industry 5.0, where humans and AI work hand in hand. AVEVA’s AI Industrial Assistant becomes a kind of always-on subject matter expert for employees. Ultimately, employees and management will be able to perform their tasks with maximum efficiency and ease, while ensuring the optimal and sustainable functioning of their operations.

How is AVEVA working with Microsoft on the industrial AI assistant and future AI solutions?

Our CONNECT platform is based on Microsoft Azure and leverages Microsoft OpenAI services and AVEVA’s patented AI technology. In addition to the first version of the industrial AI assistant, we plan to jointly enable more generative capabilities through this technology.

We’re starting to work with Microsoft on more future capabilities, like the ability to create instant, customized dashboards for energy management and so on based on a user’s typed-in request. It’ll get to the point where if you can describe it, you can create it, modify it, and save it.

We are also looking at how we can combine engineering information, data analysis, and human-machine interface/supervisory control and data acquisition (HMI/SCADA) technologies. Soon it will be possible to create devices that control operations in a way that is compliant with specifications and in real time.

Can you provide real-world examples of how AVEVA AI applications are transforming sustainability practices in industry today?

Companies around the world are already seeing huge sustainability and productivity benefits from industrial AI. For example, US energy giant Duke Energy saved more than $250 million by installing predictive models that reduced errors, quickly identified problem assets and increased overall production efficiency. Meanwhile, Schneider Electric was able to prevent three complete plant failures by anticipating problems ahead of time.

How do you think AI will transform the industrial sector on a larger scale over the next five to ten years?

First, it’s important to note that AI isn’t one thing; it encompasses many areas and applications that use mathematical formulas. That said, we’re quickly moving from narrow AI to general AI, where software will have much more human-like capabilities. As this trend continues, AI will become more goal-oriented, using everything at its disposal to achieve its goal.

However, AI is not a replacement for human intelligence; it should be seen as an enabler and partner. AI will continue to evolve in stages. It is designed to move from software that helps people today to software that works with people, providing employees with deep connections to technology through easy-to-use interfaces.

The leading companies of tomorrow will be those that weave highly specialized AI into their operations. The world is quickly becoming “AI everywhere.”

Learn more about AVEVA’s AI-powered solutions

This article was originally published in the Summer 2024 issue. Technological recordTo receive future issues straight to your inbox, sign up for a free subscription.