Why this matters now

As artificial intelligence adoption accelerates, it is easy to assume that progress requires turning more decisions over to machines. In industrial environments, however, the most valuable AI applications today are those that support operators without removing them from control.

That concept is at the center of a recent article by Emerson expert Rafal Chmielewski in International Power Engineer magazine.

“[Modern AI tools assist operators] by making it easier for people to access system knowledge, understand potential issues, and work more efficiently within the control environment.”

Takeaway: The most effective industrial AI augments human expertise instead of replacing it.

TL;DR

• Industrial AI delivers the most value when it supports operator decisions.
• Taking control away from operators introduces unnecessary risk.
• Virtual advisors provide access to knowledge without changing control logic.
• Natural language interfaces reduce response time in abnormal situations.
• Decision support improves efficiency while preserving deterministic control.

A virtual advisor for decision support

A compelling example of assistive industrial AI is Emerson’s Ovation™ Automation Platform with its Ovation Virtual Advisor. The virtual advisor draws on extensive control system documentation, system history, and knowledge-base content to guide operators.

“It gives users access to relevant information, troubleshooting support, and plant-specific knowledge without changing the deterministic control philosophy operators rely on.”

One of the greatest roadblocks keeping operators from fast reactions in challenging situations is the time it takes to locate the right supporting information for their questions. Not only is there always a lot of documentation to sift through, but the very act of finding the right search terminology can also be complex.

The Ovation Virtual Advisor empowers operators to ask natural language questions and receive natural language responses to help them quickly sort through information to get right to the answer they need. It also documents the results, helping users quickly return to what they were looking for and see the supporting evidence to ensure the answer is correct.

Takeaway: Virtual advisors replicate expert guidance without intervening in control execution.

Ready to respond

In addition to answering operator questions, the Ovation Virtual Advisor continuously monitors system performance to proactively surface emerging issues and anomalies.

“For example, it can detect anomalies on workstations and controllers based on performance-related metrics such as CPU utilization, memory usage, hard disk space, operating system patches, and drop alarms. When thresholds are exceeded, the troubleshoot capability helps the user examine the anomaly, review a curated summary of potential causes, and access recommendations to mitigate the issue.”

Takeaway: Proactive AI alerts help operators focus attention where it matters most.

Efficiency is the goal

While full autonomous operations remain a longer-term goal, significant benefits can already be achieved today through fit-for-purpose industrial AI tools that integrate directly with trusted automation platforms.

“As plant operations become more complex, even small reductions in research time and troubleshooting effort can make a meaningful difference.”

These tools bring the most value when they are integrated into the critical automation tools operators already know and trust. The AI revolution isn’t about layering on a multitude of disparate point solutions. Rather, it is best approached holistically, implementing tools that will grow and improve alongside existing automation functionality to help upskill and support operators to make the best decisions and the best use of their valuable time and skillsets.

Takeaway: Integrated AI decision support compounds small efficiency gains across complex operations.