Panel 4 at Future Oil & Gas 2026 brought together experts from Shell, VEERUM, KBC, SEEQ and Marine Technical Limits to discuss how AI and digital twins are reshaping operating models across onshore and offshore facilities.
The discussion examined how digital twins have evolved from visualisation and lookup tools into operational environments where data, workflows, people and decisions can come together. Panellists explored where AI is already delivering value, including predictive maintenance, production optimisation, workflow automation and personal productivity, while also recognising that many applications remain experimental.
A central theme was context. The panel highlighted that AI can only support operational decision-making when it is connected to trusted data, semantic layers, knowledge graphs, engineering models and the realities of how assets are operated. Without that context, AI risks becoming a black box. With it, digital twins can provide the foundation for more explainable, auditable and trusted AI-enabled workflows.
The conversation also addressed human judgement, trust and the limits of automation. Panellists discussed why operators need to understand how AI reaches its recommendations, why physics-based models and digital twins can provide essential guardrails, and why AI should be used to augment expertise rather than replace it.
Watch the full panel discussion to hear practical perspectives on how AI and digital twins can support more connected, contextual and trusted operating models for the future of oil and gas facilities.
Speakers
Meaghan Snethlage, VP of Business Development, VEERUM
Bjarki Gudmundsson, Digital Manager, CDO, Shell
Alessandro Speranza, PhD, Global Technology Portfolio Manager, KBC
Steven FitzGerald, Senior Solutions Consultant, SEEQ
Calum Maclean, Projects Director, Marine Technical Limits
Moderator
Prashant Soni, CEO, VISCO
