Will AI replace Petroleum Engineers?
AI can do 89% of the work Petroleum Engineers do at least twice as fast. People already use it for 1 of their 23 tasks, while 15 more are ready but barely used so far. 7 still need a person.
AI is already doing this1 · 6% of time
People already use AI for these tasks in real work, based on Anthropic's analysis of how Claude is used.
- Write technical reports for engineering and management personnel.Mostly assisted6% of time
AI could do this next15 · 84% of time
AI can speed these up by at least half, but real use has not caught up yet. These are next in line.
- Assess costs and estimate the production capabilities and economic value of oil and gas wells, to evaluate the economic viability of potential drilling sites.8% of time
- Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production.8% of time
- Analyze data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.8% of time
- Direct and monitor the completion and evaluation of wells, well testing, or well surveys.8% of time
- Assist engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems.8% of time
- Develop plans for oil and gas field drilling, and for product recovery and treatment.8% of time
- Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery.6% of time
- Maintain records of drilling and production operations.6% of time
- Confer with scientific, engineering, and technical personnel to resolve design, research, and testing problems.6% of time
- Simulate reservoir performance for different recovery techniques, using computer models.5% of time
- Interpret drilling and testing information for personnel.4% of time
- Evaluate findings to develop, design, or test equipment or processes.2% of time
- Assign work to staff to obtain maximum utilization of personnel.2% of time
- Design and implement environmental controls on oil and gas operations.2% of time
- Conduct engineering research experiments to improve or modify mining and oil machinery and operations.1% of time
Still needs a person7 · 11% of time
No real AI use, no proven AI speedup and no robot that can do it yet. This is the part of the job to build on.
- Coordinate the installation, maintenance, and operation of mining and oil field equipment.2% of time
- Coordinate activities of workers engaged in research, planning, and development.2% of time
- Supervise the removal of drilling equipment, the removal of any waste, and the safe return of land to structural stability when wells or pockets are exhausted.1% of time
- Inspect oil and gas wells to determine that installations are completed.1% of time
- Take samples to assess the amount and quality of oil, the depth at which resources lie, and the equipment needed to properly extract them.1% of time
- Design or modify mining and oil field machinery and tools, applying engineering principles.1% of time
- Test machinery and equipment to ensure that it is safe and conforms to performance specifications.1% of time
Your week is not the average
Describe what you actually do and get a personal report: your own tasks, what AI can already do, what stays yours and a 90 day plan.
What this means
AI can already do almost all of this work at least twice as fast. Real use is still behind at 4 out of 100, so the change here is only getting started. Expect the role to shift toward deciding what to do, checking AI's work and owning the result.
What to do next
- Do the 1 task AI is already handling with AI yourself. Your peers already are, and it is quickly becoming the baseline.
- Get ahead on the 15 tasks AI could do next. These move as tools improve, so learning them early pays off.
- Build on the 7 tasks that stay human. This is where your judgment, skill and relationships matter most.
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