Woodside Energy, a global energy producer based in Western Australia, is embedding AI more deeply across its operations and enterprise, with a focus on governance, data quality, and human accountability. The company has been applying AI for over a decade, from advanced analytics and operations to remote decision support and smarter maintenance. Its approach reflects a broader trend in industrial AI, shifting from isolated experiments to enterprise-wide systems built on standardized platforms and repeatable deployment patterns. 'We’re not just bolting AI onto an existing process,' says Andrew Melouney, vice president for digital at Woodside Energy. 'We’re deeply thinking about how that work needs to be reimagined.'
The company's long-term investment in infrastructure and governance is now enabling a broader shift toward agentic AI systems that can support complex industrial workflows. Rather than replace human operators, Woodside designs AI systems to augment expertise in high-stakes environments. A prime example is its 'Startup Advisor,' an AI copilot that helps operators manage the complex process of starting liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants. 'We’re really thinking about, how does it support the people in the organization in terms of empowering them to make better decisions, to make faster decisions,' Melouney explains. The company’s approach highlights a wider evolution in industrial AI, moving from traditional analytics to generative AI and agentic systems that enhance operational outcomes.
Woodside Energy has spent years building predictive analytics, optimization systems, and machine learning tools across exploration, drilling, maintenance, and plant operations. 'We’ve always had very large volumes of operational data coming from the equipment and the plants and the assets that we operate,' Melouney says. 'Those have created really clear, quite high-value use cases for us.' This long-term strategy has allowed the company to create a strong foundation for integrating AI into its operations, ensuring that the technology aligns with business goals and safety requirements.
Source: mittr
