Ellen Nielsen became Chevron's first chief data officer about three years before this episode.
“it started three years ago. I was the first data officer within Chevron. That doesn't mean that we deal with data since a long time”
Person
Ellen Nielsen
1 episodes · 19 quoted claims
Chevron uses robots for tank inspection, replacing a cumbersome process that previously required humans.
“some areas where we use robots, for example, in tank inspection today. You can imagine that was very cumbersome, having the human involved.”
Chevron's inspection robots remove people from confined spaces.
“Now we do this with robots and we take basically the human beings out of these confined spaces”
Chevron uses computer vision to compare images of tanks and equipment to predict rust and maintenance needs.
“taking images, uh comparing the images and take predictions on what's the status of this tank and this equipment? Is it rusting? Does it need maintenance?”
Nielsen says the cost of equipment sensors and data collection has dropped dramatically, making them practical to deploy.
“the prices dropped so dramatically for those sensors and the data collection.”
A Chevron citizen development app lets workers scan a QR code to add a sensor's geospatial location when installing it.
“you basically take a QR code and you with one click you can add the geospatial location to the sensor”
Chevron created a 'rockopedia' database of rock conditions and compositions, used with machine learning to understand reservoirs.
“We even created actually a rockopedia to know what are the different rock conditions and compositions so that we can tap into this data every day when we need it.”
Nielsen states that Chevron's strategy is higher returns and lower carbon, pursued safely.
“We do higher returns and lower carbon safely, and this is our guiding principle.”
Chevron runs a digital scholarship program with MIT in which employee cohorts study for a year.
“We have a digital scholarship program since a while, and actually we do this with MIT, where we have cohorts going for a year”
Participants in Chevron's MIT program complete a design engineering master's in one year.
“going through a design engineering master in one year, which is really a tough thing to do.”
Chevron works with Rice University on a six-to-seven-month data science program open to employees across the company.
“we started to work with Rice University. We have a six, seven months program also going across the company”
Chevron is a member of the Responsible AI Institute.
“We are a member of the responsible AI Institute and watching very carefully what's happening there”
Chevron says it had been following generative AI for roughly two years or longer before ChatGPT's arrival.
“We are following generative AI already since two years or so, maybe a little longer.”
Chevron formed a more dedicated generative AI team in May or June and has hundreds of use cases in its pipeline.
“in May, June, we decided to put a more dedicated team on those activities. And yeah, we have hundreds of use cases now in the pipeline”
A Chevron team member reported that a writing task for product management that took one or two weeks now takes about one hour with ChatGPT.
“in the past it took me maybe one or two weeks. Now it takes me one hour to get this done.”
Chevron built a chat system over its internal knowledge databases so employees can find engineering information faster.
“We have created a chat system where you can collaborate with this kind of information and figuring this out much faster.”
Models offered to Chevron citizen developers are pre-built, secured and reviewed for responsible AI.
“we have models or algorithms in the box. We have proven, we have secured, they have followed a review process, we checked on them in terms of responsible AI”
Nielsen joined Chevron about five years before the episode, starting in procurement.
“when I joined Chevron five years ago, I started in the procurement space because I have a procurement and data digital leg”
Nielsen is from Germany, earned a systems engineering degree, and worked in digital data, procurement and supply chain before Chevron.
“I'm from Germany. I did a system engineering degree and then ventured out into digital data, later on to procurement and supply chain.”