AI in Process Safety: Where It Helps and Where It Doesn’t

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is generating significant interest everywhere, including, of course, in process safety. Tools like large language models, predictive analytics, and computer vision offer new capabilities, but they are not a replacement for sound engineering judgment and robust process safety systems.

Where AI Helps

AI shows promise in several practical areas:

  • Analyzing large volumes of historical incident data to identify patterns and potential early warning signals.
  • Supporting hazard identification and PHA by processing P&IDs, PSI, and past reports more quickly.
  • Predictive maintenance and anomaly detection using sensor data to flag potential equipment issues before failure.
  • Automating routine tasks such as document review, alarm rationalization, basic compliance checks, and metrics development, evaluation, and trending.
  • Enhancing training through simulations, scenario generation, and more personalized instruction.

Where AI Doesn’t Help Much (or Requires Caution)

AI has important limitations in safety-critical applications and human-based activities:

  • AI can generate plausible but incorrect outputs.
  • Possible poor performance on rare events with limited training data (e.g., high consequence incidents).
  • Difficulty with nuanced engineering judgment, context, and “what if” scenarios that experienced professionals handle best, at least for now.
  • Explainability and traceability issues — regulators and auditors often need clear reasoning, which may not initially be provided by AI tools reliably.
  • AI may often work best as a supporting tool and not always a substitute for human oversight, activity, and operational discipline. 
  • AI can’t easily manage by wandering around or observe things in the field.
  • AI may provide insights to improve process safety culture and systems, but can’t necessarily implement these improvements.

AI can be a powerful supporting tool when used thoughtfully alongside strong process safety fundamentals. The key is maintaining human oversight, rigorous validation, and integration with existing PSM systems.

What are your experiences with AI in process safety? Share in the comments or contact me directly at jim@psmnews.com.

Recommended Resources

Here are some recent resources on AI in process safety. Note some may require sign-in/registration. New ones will be added as they are found.

Books

Articles

Training

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