Implementation of AI in Utilities: Artificial Intelligence and Human Alignment
May 19th, 2026, Noon (PST)
Guest Speaker: William Kuehne, P.E., MBA, ENV SP, Ardurra Group, Inc.
About the Webinar:
Utilities are facing mounting pressure from labor shortages and retirements, aging infrastructure, and rising compliance and capacity demands—meaning the future workforce must deliver more with fewer people. AI is beginning to close that gap, especially as new tools can connect legacy operational environments (e.g., SCADA/GIS) with modern analytics. In the near term, the most valuable use of AI in utilities is augmentation rather than replacement: using automation, machine learning, and (in some cases) generative AI to improve execution, predictive maintenance, forecasting and optimization (water quality, chemical feed), safety via computer vision, workflow automation, and customer engagement—while paying close attention to data readiness, integration, scalability, cybersecurity, and governance.
A useful way to evaluate utility AI is along two axes: capability (detect → decide → act) and alignment (how reliably it pursues the right goals consistent with human/organizational/societal objectives). Higher capability raises stakes—an AI that recommends a valve setting is very different from one that can open the valve—so human-in-the-loop controls, clear objective functions, bias management, and explicit handling of trade-offs become critical. The biggest risk is high-capability, low-alignment AI (the “paperclip maximizer” problem applied to water allocation), which is why trust, oversight, and governance must be designed in from the start. The takeaway: AI can materially improve utility operations today, but safe impact depends on aligning the technology with well-defined human priorities and accountability before increasing autonomy.
About the Speaker:
Will Kuehne is a Project Manager and Utility Management Solutions lead based out of Ardurra's Houston office where he manages projects related to modeling, Big Data, asset management, and other utility management solutions with a focus on water. He brings an interdisciplinary approach to engineering, combining data analytics, engineering, and business to provide tailored solutions for his clients.