One in five energy companies is now using agentic AI (artificial intelligence) to automate complex decision-making, with cases of the technology being used in the sector increasing, a new report has found.
About 88 per cent of executives believe AI has a very positive effect on energy and their relationship is now "symbiotic", said the Powering Possible report from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Microsoft released on Thursday.
Business leaders in China and India were the most optimistic, with 100 per cent and 94 per cent, respectively, believing "AI is a force for good", the survey said.
"Collaboration between energy and technology leaders is no longer nice to have - it is a must-do, if we are to unlock the full potential of AI," Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and chairman of Adnoc, wrote in the report.
The study gathered insights from more than 850 global experts across energy, technology, AI, academia and finance, including those from ChatGPT maker OpenAI, France's TotalEnergies and the International Energy Agency.
With AI emerging as a top priority for energy companies, industry leaders are "moving from siloed operations to strategic collaboration, driven by the urgent need to jointly tackle electricity affordability, sustainability and reliability, while unlocking innovation at scale", it said.
That would also lead to the formation of more national or regional councils dedicated to the energy-AI axis in 2026, the report noted.
This would be further quantified with the expectation that more companies will be reporting "tangible energy efficiency improvements attributed to AI", it added.
On the regulatory side, governments may also be prompted to draw up "AI-ready" regulatory frameworks that would integrate data access, cyber resilience and market participation, the study said.
"This aligns with the survey participants' call for policy modernisation and responsible AI governance frameworks to ensure AI use in critical energy systems is safe, transparent and ethical," it said.
Still, despite the growing adoption, there are still challenges that need to be addressed. More than three quarters of participants said talent and training remains a major challenge to AI adoption and use, training methods and a stronger talent-retention programme.
And in terms of investment – despite 87 per cent of organisations claiming they had increased spending on AI and digital infrastructure in the past 12 months – trillions of dollars in long-term capital are still needed to sustain the AI-in-energy trends, Douglas Kimmelman, executive chairman of Energy Capital Partners, wrote in the report.
"The investment community must evolve to meet this challenge, financing not only technology and infrastructure, but also the skills needed for a sustainable, AI-enabled energy future," he said.
AI's explosion has enabled major transformation in several industries, with its innovation opening up new possibilities that help streamline operations and create new streams of revenue.
Meanwhile, the rise in the number of data centres has also led to the need for more sustainable power generation plants.
"Accelerating the transition to a more sustainable, secure and inclusive energy future requires deep collaboration between governments, energy providers, technology companies and innovators everywhere," Brad Smith, vice chairman and president of Microsoft, wrote in the report.
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Super Rugby play-offs
Quarter-finals
- Hurricanes 35, ACT 16
- Crusaders 17, Highlanders 0
- Lions 23, Sharks 21
- Chiefs 17, Stormers 11
Semi-finals
Saturday, July 29
- Crusaders v Chiefs, 12.35pm (UAE)
- Lions v Hurricanes, 4.30pm
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
