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This conversation features Casey Thames sitting down with Swapnil Bhadauria and Ben Williams of EY to discuss why digital transformation remains one of the most talked-about initiatives in oil and gas, yet many organizations still struggle to move beyond pilots, dashboards, and disconnected technology investments.
Drawing on experience across upstream, midstream, downstream, and chemical operations, Swapnil and Ben share practical perspectives on what it takes to translate digital strategy into measurable operational results. While artificial intelligence continues to dominate industry discussions, the conversation explores why success often depends less on the technology itself and more on understanding operational workflows, improving data quality, and creating alignment between people, processes, and systems.
The discussion examines how operators are using AI to improve decision-making, accelerate analysis, and unlock greater value from existing data. From maintenance and reliability programs to production optimization and capital projects, the guests explain where AI is creating tangible benefits today and where organizations are still working through challenges related to trust, adoption, governance, and execution.
Casey brings a field operations perspective to the conversation, sharing examples from pipeline and gas plant environments where technology initiatives frequently encounter real-world obstacles. Together, the group explores the importance of usability, frontline engagement, organizational buy-in, and connecting insights to actions that operators can actually execute.
The episode also dives into the future of human and AI collaboration, discussing confidence levels, risk management, decision orchestration, and the evolving role of operations leaders in driving transformation efforts. Rather than replacing people, the discussion highlights how AI and digital technologies can help organizations focus resources on higher-value work while improving safety, productivity, and operational performance.
Ultimately, the conversation reinforces a simple principle: digital transformation only creates value when it becomes part of how operations actually run.
Host
Casey Thames
Guests
Swapnil Bhadauria, Digital Operations Leader, EY
Ben Williams, Global Industrials & Energy Consulting Leader, EY
Learn More
EY Energy & Resources Consulting
https://www.ey.com/en_us/energy-resources
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