Woodside Petroleum : 15.08.2017 Opinion - Robots and AI will create, not take, jobs

First published on the AFR online (www.afr.com.au), 14 August 2017 Published in the AFR, 15 August 2017

An apocalyptic narrative is grabbing headlines at the moment based on dire warnings of mass unemployment and even warfare as a result of robots replacing humans.

There can be no doubt artificial intelligence will revolutionise the way we work and live, but the prophets of doom are misguided. They will be doing Australia a serious disservice if the dystopian vision they are peddling deters us from embracing innovation and turning it to our advantage.

Woodside has a proud history as a pioneer of the oil and gas industry. Now we are taking the industry to new frontiers by adopting and developing innovation that builds on our strengths but challenges our thinking.

For an industry that typically works on timeframes spanning decades, we are introducing a new approach built around the emerging field of data science that can accelerate our way of working and boost returns to shareholders.

It's much broader than robots, but they tend to attract attention. In a lab in our Perth headquarters, we have on loan a NASA robonaut, known as Rick, who has had selfies with various dignitaries.

It's an exciting project, as we use our expertise working in remote locations to support the space agency sending robots to Mars. For our industry, robots that can perform dangerous tasks in remote locations can substantially reduce risks to our people.

But Rick, the robonaut, is just one part of Woodside's expanding data science capability.

Data analytics and artificial intelligence are about giving our people easy access to the knowledge they need to perform at the highest level.

That's why Woodside has created and trained a cognitive assistant named Willow.

Willow is able to search in seconds through millions of files for relevant information that might otherwise take days, weeks or even months to find.

We are training Willow to understand the needs of each individual user, whether an offshore engineer who wants to understand the risk of drilling a particular well or our chief operations officer monitoring production at our facilities.

Each week, Willow learns how to help us better as our people provide feedback. The algorithms behind Willow, built in Perth by Woodside people, are fine-tuned when our staff rate its performance.

To make complex technologies accessible, we sometimes give them human names. But the reality is Rick and Willow are not humans and never will be. They can't train themselves, but rely on inputs from humans. They are there to help us.

I firmly believe these frontier technologies are all about augmenting human intelligence, not taking jobs.

Technologies that provide quicker access to knowledge can free up people's time, allowing them to think creatively, achieve more and succeed sooner. In our industry, that can help us make better decisions faster and potentially accelerate the commercialisation of a resource.

With every generation, the types of jobs that are needed change, and we are currently undergoing another generational change. As a society, we need to ensure our future workforce develop the skills that will be needed.

At Woodside we hire 100 graduates each year, most of whom have science, technology, engineering or maths qualifications. The STEM skills will become increasingly important as technologies continue to evolve.

It's vital that visionary employers work with schools, universities and colleges to ensure they deliver the relevant skills.

Australian companies, from oil and gas to telecommunications, are already pushing the boundaries and testing new technology-driven solutions to business problems.

As we celebrate National Science Week, let's get a real conversation going between our educators and employers to ensure Australia is positioning itself today to make the most of tomorrow.