Oil producers turn to artificial intelligence for efficiency

Philippe Herve, vice president of oil and gas solutions for Austin-based SparkCognition, works with major energy producers including BP to improve efficiency in the oil patch. He spent more than 30 years at Schlumberger and other companies before joining SparkCognition two years ago. The 4-year-old firm, which employs about 250 people, develops artificial intelligence solutions for producers looking to use operations data to detect and prevent failures and cut costs, among other things. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. In October, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, said artificial intelligence is the next major revolution of our time and selected a state minister to focus on this space.