It requires a deep understanding of your data: what information is available, how it is collected, how it is analyzed and what that analysis can tell you about your operation. Complete AI integration begins with knowing your plant and how it behaves. Today’s “new technology” is tomorrow’s old hat, and the fundamentals of the control room haven’t changed. We saw this familiar pattern in the transition from UNIX to Windows 30-plus years ago. Tech hesitation or uncertainty is nothing new. To get to the point where we can easily implement a virtual assistant immersed in the control room and support an operator’s routine, the industry will need to break down some of the tech-specialization walls that have been built up over time. For example, creating an end-to-end digital solution for raw material inventory control means having to build it from the ground up, picking and choosing suppliers for each component-from sensors to real-time connections with your ERP system. However, it is still a challenge to find a technology company capable of navigating across those layers. Currently, some companies are highly specialized in instruments, while others are experts in enterprise resource planning and business intelligence, for example. The transformation must happen on the technology supplier side, as well. This isn’t just about introducing new technologies to users. The potential is virtually unlimited, but only if today’s layered paradigm transitions to a more distributed and self-contained approach. Today, new solutions are often applied outside of those layers, like solar panels without the wiring required to deliver electricity throughout the home. To be able to have AI monitoring and controlling a plant effectively, those existing layers of the technology stack must have embedded AI and/or allow easy access and interaction with AI and other new tech. The market is set up with layers of technology that present structural obstacles to the rapid adoption of new industrial control innovation. The biggest reason we don’t already see AI applied more widely in control room settings isn’t just about user comfort and familiarity. Now extrapolate to get a sense of how that growing comfort and ubiquity will help accelerate the adoption of new industrial AI tools that use same principles.

Consider the increasingly pivotal role that AI-powered tech like smartphones and virtual assistants like Alexa play in our lives. The good news is that things are changing-and not just in control rooms. Even the most powerful technology will fail to take hold if users are hesitant to use it. But adoption reluctance remains an issue. Solution companies continually roll out promising new tech.

Control room out