Artificial intelligence (AI), digital infrastructure and energy resilience dominated discussions on the third day of ADIPEC 2026, as energy, technology and investment leaders explored how AI can improve productivity, strengthen industrial operations and support more secure energy systems.

Discussions highlighted a shift from AI experimentation towards large-scale implementation, with speakers stressing that successful adoption will depend on reliable data, digital infrastructure, effective governance, cybersecurity and investment.

Within the Strategic Conference, the AI, Digital & Technology Innovation programme examined the requirements for building an AI-ready energy system. Speaking during the session ‘Beyond digital: how AI is reshaping industries, economies and society’, Helmut von Struve, CEO, Siemens UAE & Middle East, highlighted AI's potential to improve essential services and industrial productivity.

"The greatest value from an AI perspective is where industries, and also the essential services we depend on, can be improved. It is really about how we can make essential operations more productive and reliable, and how we can make them more resource-efficient."

Cross-sector collaboration also emerged as a key theme. During ‘Beyond collaboration: redefining energy partnerships for cross-sector collaboration’, John Gilley, CEO, Kent, and Dr Ahmed Mohamed Alebri, CEO, ADNOC Onshore, discussed how transparency, digital technologies and data-sharing are creating opportunities for stronger industrial partnerships.

Gilley highlighted the growing relationship between energy and digital infrastructure, saying: "We are seeing that it is not just about energy; it is about connecting the world's appetite for data with the world's appetite for energy. Each country wants to have control of its own data and energy."

The session ‘Digital transformation: building an AI-ready energy system’ brought together Rakesh Jaggi, President Digital, SLB; Som Dutta, Group VP – AI and Data Science, DP World; and Ashish Koshy, CEO, Inception42. Discussions focused on the data foundations, infrastructure and operating models required to integrate AI across industrial operations, with speakers agreeing that AI should become a core business capability rather than remain confined to isolated pilot projects.

Addressing concerns about AI replacing human workers, Koshy emphasised the importance of combining human expertise with technology, saying: "It has to be not AI versus humans, but humans augmented by AI."

Data ownership, sovereignty and cybersecurity were also central to discussions during ‘Energy data sovereignty: ownership, access and AI in critical infrastructure’. Speakers examined how energy companies can share and use operational data while protecting critical infrastructure and maintaining control over sensitive information.

Dennis Jol, CEO, AIQ, stressed that trust would determine the pace of AI adoption, saying: "Collaboration moves at the speed of trust. If we look at the UAE ecosystem, it is a five-layer cake: energy, data, infrastructure, sovereign cloud and the models we have access to, which maintain security. We sit on top of that. Ultimately, data has to belong to the customer, and customers have to trust us. Cybersecurity rules need to be enhanced. Sovereignty does not need to be national; it just needs to exist within your own framework."

The geopolitical implications of AI infrastructure expansion were examined during ‘The US at a crossroads: what comes next for energy and geopolitics’. Joseph McMonigle, President, Global Center for Energy Analysis, highlighted the importance of securing public support for new infrastructure projects, particularly as AI and digital computing drive growing energy demand.

"I do not think it is going to be possible to avoid moving forward with AI and digital computing, but the industry needs to be much more effective and change its strategy. It needs to pay more attention to the local level. There needs to be some kind of inclusion.”

Energy infrastructure investment and resilience featured prominently in ‘When infrastructure becomes the frontline: supply diversity, storage and resilience’. Tarek El Molla, Founder & Principal Consultant, Luminant Energy Consultancy, and former Minister of Petroleum & Mineral Resources Egypt, said governments would need to introduce more supportive policies and incentives to attract private-sector investment.

"Unless governments are more tolerant and open, and offer more incentives for the use of infrastructure, helping secure buy-in from the private sector and multinationals, these projects will not succeed in attracting investment. This is not investment that is easily raised. Therefore, I think that in the coming years, policies will become more relaxed, inviting more private-sector capital."

Ambassador Martina Strong, Region President, Central Europe and the Middle East, Bechtel, added: "Markets are already looking at the proposition of investing in large, complex infrastructure very differently from how they did, certainly in this part of the world."

The expanded AI Zone, co-hosted by AIQ, demonstrated how AI technologies are moving into practical applications across the energy sector. Exhibitors showcased solutions covering reservoir modelling, autonomous operations, grid management and robotics.

Among the new technologies unveiled, Stone Ridge Technology introduced an AI-native pre- and post-processing and workflow orchestration layer built around its GPU-based ECHELON reservoir simulation software, aimed at accelerating subsurface analysis and reservoir management.

Honeywell demonstrated AI-driven autonomous upstream operations through its Honeywell Forge Upstream platform, showcasing how advanced analytics and automation can improve asset performance and operational efficiency.

Robotics also featured prominently. EY, in partnership with Gecko Robotics, demonstrated robots capable of climbing, crawling, swimming and flying to inspect critical infrastructure, including pipelines and power plants. Combining asset data with AI-powered analytics, the technology supports predictive maintenance, equipment reliability and investment planning.

Meanwhile, Sinaha showcased Autonomous Mobile Robots deployed in its intelligent warehouses, coordinated through its proprietary Robotics Management System. The company plans to begin manufacturing the robots at its UAE facility in the first quarter of 2027.

The neighbouring Digitalisation Zone featured digital twins, edge computing, industrial software and cybersecurity solutions designed to support increasingly connected and autonomous energy systems.

Together, the conference discussions and technology demonstrations reinforced a central message from Day 3: AI's greatest potential lies in its ability to move beyond individual applications and transform operations across the entire energy value chain. Achieving this will require investment in infrastructure, trusted data, cybersecurity, collaboration and the integration of human expertise with intelligent technologies. -OGN/TradeArabia News Service