Encouraging Responsible AI
In this opening keynote from Future Oil & Gas 2026, Menno van Vechel, IT Manager Information, Data & Analytics at Shell, explores what it takes to encourage responsible AI across complex industrial organisations. The presentation frames AI as a powerful enabler for business transformation, while making clear that technology alone will not deliver lasting value without changes to data strategy, workflows and organisational behaviour.
A central theme of the keynote is the importance of putting data first. Menno highlights that trusted, accurate and well-governed data remains the backbone of AI, particularly across asset-intensive environments where decisions depend on confidence in operational systems, asset data, real-time information and domain expertise.
The presentation also challenges organisations to move beyond applying AI to existing processes. Instead, it argues for reimagining how work gets done, how decisions are made and how AI can be infused into workflows rather than treated as an add-on. This is especially important as AI agents and digital tools become more embedded in daily operations.
Menno also addresses the risk of technology lock-in, outlining the need for a technology-agnostic architecture that supports flexibility, composability and long-term adaptability. By connecting operational systems, data foundations, semantic layers, digital twins and AI-infused workflows, organisations can create the conditions for responsible AI to scale effectively.
View the embedded presentation to explore Shell’s perspective on responsible AI, data foundations, process redesign and the bold choices required to turn emerging technology into meaningful operational transformation.
