AI firm AIQ pilots new tools for oil patch - Semafor

The Iran war has been a proving ground for ADNOC’s massive bet on artificial intelligence. AI firm AIQ, which counts the Abu Dhabi oil giant as its largest customer and shareholder, has gone from a nice-to-have before the conflict to a source of crucial real-time insight into drilling, production, and facilities management, AIQ CEO Dennis Jol told Semafor. Six months of war and AI fever have added urgency to the rollout of Genesis, an operating system AIQ is pitching to energy companies. It runs large-scale agentic AI across upstream and downstream operations without relying on any single AI model provider like Anthropic or OpenAI.

AIQ is testing its tools in energy patches, including Kuwait, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam. A pilot in Egypt predicted a pump failure 45 days in advance, according to the firm’s chief technology officer. AIQ has made its first hire in the UK, is weighing other locations such as Houston, and has identified 100 potential acquisition targets as it seeks growth, Jol said.