Brian Crossman is a partner in Estevan-based Independent Well Servicing. The opinions expressed in this column are the opinions of the author and not necessarily the opinions of Independent Well Servicing.
Storyblocks graphic licensed by Brian Zinchuk
Enough politics for now. I have something else I need to complain about (the “airing of grievances” if you will). For the past several years, artificial intelligence, or AI, has been near the top of many conversations, maybe even most of them. To many the prospect of this unprecedented technology has endless potential. The opposition and fear side of this equation is probably just as large. And as always, the task of publications such as Pipeline Online is to delve into the effects it will have on our beloved energy industry. At the office level, many are using it to assist with emails, research and presentations. But for the entire industry it is a long term positive/negative dynamic.
On the positive side, it could make well design, complex engineering problems, and documentation much easier to manage. Time and money would be saved, something every business including the energy industry strives to do. Better decisions could be made in real time, improving efficiency and production. The human side of it would be removing much of the stress and more time to research future projects.
The flipside of the AI coin is the real possibility of creating mental laziness. Kind of like when we binge-watch too much television instead of reading a book (guilty as charged). Why research something and develop ideas and projects when you can “ChatGPT” them? We all have friends that use this technology to make emails and reports easier to read and understand, but the personal touch and creativity may be lost. This is just my opinion. When I read articles by respected journalists, I am interested in their thoughts and opinions, not some computer-generated sanitized version of what they wrote.
- 0111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 010111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 01
- 0085 Turnbull snow removal call office0085 Turnbull snow removal call office
- 0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter
- 0109 SaskPower SASPO_2817_PLT_Recruitment_DIVERSITY0109 SaskPower SASPO_2817_PLT_Recruitment_DIVERSITY
- 0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety
- 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
- 0100 Turnbull Project Manager0100 Turnbull Project Manager
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
- 0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001
There is a ton of stupid internet crap as well. Vehicle accidents and all manner of comedy and silly time wasters are prevalent now, and many of them are very realistic. So far it is pretty easy to spot the real from the fake (as almost every comment calls them out on) and of course it is all in good fun. Until its not. Scammers are already in everything out there. We’ve gone from con men to Nigerian princes on fax machines, phone scams, email scams to identity theft. You can’t scroll on the interweb thing without hundreds of influencers telling you can get rich using AI. I have never delved into it, because I’m sure they want to part me of my cash. Plus, that annoying whispering voice they use drives me crazy. Social media is overflowing with unsavory characters using AI technology to all designed to separate you from your hard-earned money.
Here is my main real-life issue with artificial intelligence as it pertains to the oilpatch at the field level: On one hand, the potential to make one of the most difficult, dangerous jobs on the planet easier and safer has a lot of merit. When you remove the high-risk elements of the work, injuries and fatalities would almost certainly disappear. AI technology combined with advanced robotics would perform the tasks effectively with little to no human interaction. I have read articles on advanced machine learning and how rapidly it could adapt to the work as the situation changes to the point of self-repair when needed.
I guess what worries me is the result of not physically performing this type of work which creates strong, resilient people who have true grit and are not “risk averse.” As we always said on the rig, “If it was easy anyone could do it, and if it was fun we’d do it for free.” I feel some pity to young people who haven’t had a truly difficult day at work. It’s the hard days when we learn just how much we are capable of. How much pain, sacrifice and physical exhaustion you can deal with. I know it sounds “old school “to talk this way, but this is how many of us feel about it. The long stretches away from home coupled with long days are not easy, but you will learn things about yourself you just can’t sitting behind a desk of a screen. I think we can all agree that we are softer than the generation before us, (my dad Ron liked to remind us) and we can see the same thing in the next generation. (Not all of them of course, I know some amazing young people)
- 0111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 010111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 01
- 0085 Turnbull snow removal call office0085 Turnbull snow removal call office
- 0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter
- 0109 SaskPower SASPO_2817_PLT_Recruitment_DIVERSITY0109 SaskPower SASPO_2817_PLT_Recruitment_DIVERSITY
- 0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety
- 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
- 0100 Turnbull Project Manager0100 Turnbull Project Manager
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
- 0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001
Getting back the statement “if it was easy, anyone could do it” is the key. Just like not just anyone can be a brain scientist or a rocket surgeon, not everybody is well-suited to be a roughneck. It takes a particular type of individual to work at it for any length of time. Is AI going to make the job (or any job for that matter) so easy and simple anyone (a machine?) can do it? I’m not so sure that is the kind of world I want to live in. Hard work and difficult circumstances are what forges us. The conversation of what happens to individuals and humanity in general is another long conversation.
The robotic elephant in the room is how AI could be our demise. Robots will be capable of performing everyday tasks, especially the difficult ones. I have read articles about AI programs that were able to save themselves when deleted by human programmers. At some point is artificial intelligence going to become real “intelligence?” This is a fair question, in my opinion. Here is another concern of mine: I have watched enough movies to know that the terminator scares the crap out of me, as does “Agent Smith” from the Matrix movies. I am pretty sure Sarah Conner, Kyle Reese and Neo aren’t coming to save us. (But if AI kills John Wick’s dog, my money is on Keanu Reeves)
A tri-colored beagle, kinda like John Wick’s dog. Storyblocks photo licensed by Brian Zinchuk
At the end of the day, artificial intelligence is here to stay whether we like it or not. So, what to do? We should use it for it’s intended purpose, which is a tool in my opinion. The old adage of using things for good, not evil, applies to most things, but especially with any new technology. I have a friend that is currently working with an AI program to predict long-term reservoir potential, taking a great deal of the risk out of long-term success of the well. The ability to speed up research time is also a huge plus. In regard to the energy industry, especially for those who are “well diggers” There are many positives to this technology. I hope that is the main takeaway from this and it helps sustain the industry into the future.
Brian Crossman is a partner at Independent Well Servicing in Estevan. He promises he didn’t use AI to write this article, or ever anything else for that matter.
- 0111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 010111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 01
- 0085 Turnbull snow removal call office0085 Turnbull snow removal call office
- 0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter
- 0109 SaskPower SASPO_2817_PLT_Recruitment_DIVERSITY0109 SaskPower SASPO_2817_PLT_Recruitment_DIVERSITY
- 0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety
- 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
- 0100 Turnbull Project Manager0100 Turnbull Project Manager
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
- 0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001