The Energy Workforce People & Culture Committee recently hosted a roundtable discussion on the workforce impacts of AI with Greg Vert, Human Capital Applied AI Leader at Deloitte.
The event is part of a series the committee, led by Kelly Munson, DNOW, has been hosting this year to address timely topics and deliver actionable insights for member companies. With AI advancing rapidly, departments across the energy sector—including HR—are experiencing workforce impacts.
Participants gathered at NOV to examine the latest research and market trends over the next three years. Vert highlighted emerging developments such as agentic AI and multi-agent systems, explaining how AI can enhance operations across departments and how he sees the ecosystem evolving.
He noted that with 39% of workers’ core skills expected to change by 2030, HR has a unique opportunity to guide enterprises through the largest work redesign since the industrial revolution. The oil and gas industry, in particular, will need strong HR leadership to design the human–machine workforce of the future, upskill and redeploy talent, and scale collaboration between people and technology.
Vert also shared examples of functions most affected by AI, showing how impacts vary by role, tenure, and timeframe. Notably for oil and gas, he emphasized that skilled trades are likely to grow because AI has a limited impact on those roles. In contrast, knowledge work will face high disruption, especially at the entry level.
In closing, Vert underscored the need to equip teams with clear guidance and practical toolkits to integrate AI effectively.
If you are interested in joining the People & Culture Committee, please reach out to VP Programs & Events Peggy Helfert.
Maria Suarez-Simmons, VP Energy Policy, writes about industry-specific policies for the Energy Workforce & Technology Council. Click here to subscribe to the Energy Workforce newsletter, which highlights sector-specific issues, best practices, activities and more.
