Opportunities, Challenges, and Best Practices
Jason Hollern is Cybersecurity Technical Executive at EPRI.
The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI technologies is reshaping critical infrastructure worldwide, with the energy sector at the forefront of this transformation. These advanced technologies offer new opportunities for improving operational efficiency, customer engagement, and system reliability.
However, they may also introduce significant cybersecurity challenges, particularly in safeguarding the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of critical energy systems and data. This article, based on a recent EPRI white paper, explores how AI is being utilized in the energy sector, the cybersecurity risks it poses, and the strategies that can mitigate these threats.
AI in the Energy Sector: Opportunities and Risks
AI has been part of the energy sector for decades, with tools like advanced pattern recognition used to monitor equipment health and performance. Today, AI applications are more sophisticated, encompassing areas like predictive maintenance, fault detection, and process optimization. Generative AI, a subset of AI that creates new content based on existing data, has expanded possibilities by enabling automation, real-time decision-making, and enhanced customer interactions.