Technology development is organisational development

Tekna president Elisabet Haugsbø emphasises that the right specialist expertise must be in place to ensure a balance between the pros and cons of AI.

What’s your reaction to Havtil’s choice of its main issue for 2025?

I believe it’s helpful to emphasise that AI also represents a risk factor. That applies to all use of new tools. As with any work involving risk, however, the trick is to balance advantages against disadvantages.

To do this effectively, we must ensure that the technical expertise of AI specialists is involved when decisions come to be taken. So I think it’s also very useful to talk explicitly about risk with regard to applying AI. 

Tekna (Norwegian Society of Graduate Technical and Scientific Professionals) organises personnel with higher education in technology and sciences. Its 110 000 members include 13 000 students.

How does the industry strike the ideal balance between the benefits and potential risks of AI?

“To assess whether one type of risk is worth taking, we must be well-informed about the tool which may pose (or eliminate) the risk. That’s AI in this case.

As I say, it’s then a matter of successfully involving appropriate technical expertise in the assessments made. Such involvement should occur early, with good participation from union officials.

That’s because this is also about carrying your people with you, not only to build new expertise but also to be able to adopt new tools in a safe and effective manner. 

What expectations do you have of AI utilisation in the petroleum sector, particularly with regard to safety-related operations?

I expect the industry to succeed once again in following up this technology in a good way. In my experience, this is precisely something it’s good at – although expectations may be particularly high for using AI to limit emissions and promote even greater energy efficiency. 

What do you see as the most important steps the companies should take to ensure prudent use of AI?

The most important is to recognise that technology development is organisational development. This means that a detailed understanding is needed of the way AI technology actually works when conducting risk assessments.

It’s also important to involve union officials early in the process, and not least to ensure that employees have the right expertise for using AI tools effectively.