There’s an oft-told parable about a large vessel at sea during a stormy night. The captain looks out through the rain to see what appears to be the lights of another vessel on a collision course with his ship. He tells the ship’s signalman to send a message telling the other vessel to change course 10 degrees north. A message returns telling the captain to alter his vessel’s course 10 degrees south. The captain, in frustration, again tells the other vessel to change course 10 degrees north and informs them that he is the captain of a battleship. The responding message comes back: change your course 10 degrees south. I am a lighthouse.
This story, in varying forms, has been around since the middle of the last century and has been retold many times, with the details changed to suit the situation and the storyteller. Though the story is fictional, it illustrates an important lesson: In any given situation involving change, are we the battleship? Or are we the lighthouse?
Those in the industry long enough know that change is the only constant. Change can be difficult, from company restructuring, lay-offs or budget cuts to mergers and bankruptcies. In other cases, change can drive new technical developments, with the latest technologies often filling voids created by downsizing and budget cuts.
Just Another Tool
One example that comes to mind is the development of the desktop computer – some thought it would replace the interpreter. It didn’t. It added a new tool to our toolbelt. Each new development presents a choice: do we adapt and adopt? Or do we allow uncertainty to govern and resist change?
This brings us to artificial intelligence. Students and younger employees are often very knowledgeable and comfortable with computer development, having grown up with the concept. But AI is not new. Conceived in the early part of the last century, it had to wait for the development of computers to catch up. AI has several aspects, but as we know, it’s meant to mimic how the human brain works and learns. Once again, some think it will make the interpreter obsolete, fostering visions of the computer HAL in the 1969 classic movie “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
Even as I type this, Microsoft offers its Copilot icon pop-up to “help” me draft the text. I can choose whether to do so or go with my own efforts. We must remember that computers are tools and part of our craft. The software used in machine learning, a subset of AI, allows the analysis of large amounts of data more quickly and accurately than is possible without the software. It also allows the interpreter to “see” information in the data below the resolution detectable by the human eye. For example, it can show faults and fracture networks, which might make up subtle traps or potentially hazardous gas pockets. The machine learns with each data pass, but the interpreter can still choose and interpret the results as the geology we understand. The computer doesn’t know geology – it knows patterns.
The newer software developments allow us to see more of the data than ever before. This information is applicable whether we are in oil and gas exploration and development, geothermal, CCUS or shallow hazard studies. This allows the interpreter to design an integrated project from concept through acquisition, processing and interpretation to development with better results.
AI also has a darker side, which most often results from its misuse. Whether used for writing professional submissions or for scams on the internet, the misuse can be attributed to bad actors, people who would misuse any tool.
And AI isn’t always correct; I did a Google search to find out what day of the week St. Patrick’s Day fell on in 2020. As we know, St. Patrick’s Day is always March 17, which, in 2020, was a Tuesday. The AI Overview that popped up with the answer told me that St. Patrick’s Day 2020 was on a Wednesday, March 18, which was incorrect. In the analogy of our parable, misuse or inaccurate answers might be the rocks on which the lighthouse sits. But should that keep us from embracing technology? The geoscientist’s best tool is always knowledge.
Learn More about AI
Conferences and conventions such as the Offshore Technology Conference, IMAGE 2025 and Geogulf2025 offer learning opportunities through vendor booth demonstrations, short courses and technical presentations. Both AAPG and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists offer courses and webinars on AI. Your local societies also provide resources through meetings, classes and presentations. Take advantage of these opportunities to learn more. Special interest groups hold regular meetings, so check the calendar of events. And don’t forget about the field trips!
One of the purposes of the Division of Professional Affairs is to provide education, so please let us know what courses would be helpful. I urge you to check into the AAPG Academy for free webinars. Embrace the opportunity to learn and adapt, increasing your value to your company and yourself. No matter what your level of experience, we can all navigate change.