AI is advancing in the energy sector, but companies still face challenges in achieving results.

Although AI (artificial intelligence) is gaining increasing prominence in the strategies of essential service companies, such as those in the electricity sector, transforming interest in the technology into concrete results remains a challenge.

The scenario was presented by Daniel Martins, a partner at PwC Strategy&, during a meeting promoted by CNEX, a Brazilian platform for executive transformation.

According to data presented by the executive, approximately 94% to 96% of business leaders already recognize the importance of AI for their operations, but only 20% claim to have initiatives effectively in place. In the energy sector, the challenge goes beyond task automation.

According to the analysis presented, energy and infrastructure are among the sectors least exposed to gains in labor productivity through AI, which directs opportunities towards asset efficiency, improved decision-making, and process execution.

Practical applications and results

Among the examples presented at the meeting, an essential services company, with approximately two thousand employees, reported productivity gains after implementing 20 AI assistants to support its teams.

In another case, the use of technology in programming and functional specification activities resulted in a 60% reduction in technology project costs within six months.

The examples show how AI can contribute to optimizing processes and reducing costs. However, the effectiveness of the technology depends on the choice of applications and the ability of companies to integrate it into their operations.

Main bottlenecks

Among the main challenges are the limits of automation and the need for professional training, since automating processes does not necessarily mean eliminating human intervention or improving the customer experience.

Furthermore, according to discussions held at the meeting, simply providing AI tools is not enough to guarantee productivity gains. It is necessary to prepare teams to use the technology strategically and in line with business needs.

“The adoption of AI is entering a prioritization phase. In utilities, the potential of the technology lies not only in automating tasks, but in supporting faster and more accurate decisions, improving operational efficiency, and expanding companies' ability to respond to an increasingly complex environment. The next step is to transform interest into use cases capable of generating measurable impact for the business,” said Douglas Souza, CEO of CNEX.

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