As part of the SPE Offshore Europe 2025 (OE25) technical program, DNV, an independent energy expert and assurance provider, will spotlight its latest research into the emerging risks of artificial intelligence (AI) in the offshore sector.
With concerns such as cyberattacks or AI-driven equipment failures already on the radar of offshore operators, the paper demonstrates that less detectable risks, those emerging from unpredictable interactions between humans and AI, pose the greatest threat to operational safety.
AI is emerging as a useful tool in many industries, often in a bottom-up way as individuals use AI-based tools in their daily work. At the same time, AI technology itself is evolving at high-speed, with new capabilities and potential applications constantly arising.
Graham Faiz, Head of Digital Energy at DNV, said: “Ensuring safety in the face of a disruptive new technology is paramount, particularly in the offshore environment. AI will certainly find applications within the sector; however, its emergence presents a real challenge to regulators due to its disruptive nature, extremely rapid pace of development and easy accessibility to individuals. For example, if an individual engineer uses a generative AI engine to write standard operating procedures for a new piece of equipment, how does the industry ensure that maximum safety is maintained? This is just one example of how AI-related risks could potentially overwhelm traditional safety mechanisms.”
To address this growing challenge, DNV’s research proposes a systemic safety framework that incorporates safety engineering principles and AI assurance across the entire system lifecycle.
AI will be tested in offshore settings to understand and manage safety risks. Specific scenarios, known as ‘use cases’, will be studied to spot dangers and suggest ways to reduce them, focusing on how AI changes over time, how complex its decisions can be, and how it affects both people and the wider system. This approach forms the basis of the safety framework.
Hari Vamadevan, Senior Vice President and Regional Director UK and Ireland, Energy Systems at DNV. (Image credit: DNV)
Hari Vamadevan, Senior Vice President and Regional Director UK and Ireland, Energy Systems at DNV, said: “Offshore Europe brings together organizations and industry leaders from across the global energy sector, making it the ideal platform to showcase innovation and contribute to critical industry conversations. AI is becoming increasingly ingrained in the industry, and as humans and AI become more integrated, their interactions become more unpredictable. However, we have seen little consideration of how existing safety systems can address this new technology. A new approach is needed to directly address the emergent risks of AI integration across our industry.
“As the UK continues to build out its renewable energy infrastructure, we see a strong opportunity to develop and embed robust safety frameworks, which include the use of AI, from the very beginning. By identifying and mitigating potential risks, our work aims to prevent unintended consequences and ensure the safe integration of AI in safety-critical operations.”
The research will be presented at OE25, taking place 2-5 September at P&J Live, Aberdeen. A record 600 abstracts were submitted for the technical program which will feature 18 sessions and more than 70 papers within oil and gas, net zero and digital streams.
DNV will present its technical paper and findings as part of the Digital: AI Supported Subsurface technical session on Wednesday, 3 September at 2:30pm in Meeting Room 7. With the offshore industry pushing forward on digital transformation and net-zero goals, DNV’s findings are expected to play a key role in shaping safety standards and AI governance across the sector.
This year’s paper is a continuation of DNV’s research that was presented at OE23, which found that although AI is being readily used across the sector, there was a lack of trust in the technology. Two years on, the conversation has shifted to how the industry can address the challenges that AI will introduce. A 2025 DNV survey found that, of 1160 companies across Europe, North America, Central and South America, and Asia, 60% of respondents stated that they will use AI-driven applications in their operations in the year ahead: up from 47% in 2024.
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