Understanding the safety impact of AI in offshore industries
Havtil draws on DNV’s extensive industry and technology expertise to assess Norwegian regulation of AI in the offshore industry
About the customer
Havtil, the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority, is a supervisory and administrative agency of the Norwegian government. It has regulatory responsibility for safety, working environment, emergency preparedness and security for the petroleum industry on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Introduction to set the scene
Artificial intelligence (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. Amid all this development, it is vital that industries understand the implications AI tools can have on safety and security systems.
The customer challenge
Ensuring safety in the face of a disruptive new technology
AI will certainly find applications in the petroleum industry. But new technologies need to be qualified before they are used on the Norwegian continental shelf, and it is part of Havtil’s remit to ensure that Norway’s regulatory landscape can accommodate new technologies. However, the emergence of AI 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?
DNV’s solution
Combining technical and business expertise to see the big picture
DNV has a long track-record in the Norwegian petroleum sector, particularly in developing guidelines, best practices and standards. Drawing on that experience, Havtil contracted DNV to carry out a study into the use of AI in the Norwegian offshore industry, its impact on safety with a particular focus on major accidents, and whether Norway’s current regulations are sufficient to ensure safety in an AI-enabled future.
DNV sought insight from in-house experts in areas including both Norwegian and global oil and gas industries, and hardware, software and AI industries. They combined this personal expertise with extensive research into the scientific literature.
The final report, available on the Havtil website, highlights the need for common guidelines on the use of AI in the petroleum industry, such as those being developed through the Artificial Intelligence Industrial Collaborating Environment Joint Industry Project (AIICE JIP). In addition, the industry must ensure it has measures in place to ensure data quality and transparency so that all stakeholders can have trust in the data that the AI tools rely on. However, the report also found that Norway’s existing regulations are sufficient to cater for the introduction of AI as long as those regulations are applied correctly.
Impact
- Cross-industry alignment on the use of AI is required e.g. AIICE JIP
- Existing regulatory structure is sufficient if applied correctly
- Data quality and transparency are essential to build trust in data and AI tools
Key stats
- More than 100 documents, articles, and papers referenced
- Two reports developed and published: In English and Norwegian
- More than 15 DNV experts involved.