Enerim uses AI both in its own software development and as part of customer solutions. New use cases are continuously explored and put into practice.
If there is one industry where data is abundant, it is the energy sector: electricity grids, production and consumption, for example, continuously generate vast amounts of information. What kind of role is AI set to play in processing and making use of all this data, Enerim’s Chief Technology Officer Joonas Kolmonen?
“The energy sector is an exceptionally suitable environment for using AI, as it relies on large volumes of data and real-time operations. As energy markets become more complex, the requirements related to the speed of decision-making are also increasing,” says Enerim’s Chief Technology Officer Joonas Kolmonen.
According to Kolmonen, the AI discussion at Enerim is no longer about individual experiments or technology hype, but about how AI is integrated into business.
“For us, AI is not a separate trend, but a natural continuation of digitalization in the energy sector,” Kolmonen summarizes.
AI is not an end in itself
According to Kolmonen, the focus should be on what problem AI is being used to solve.
“AI is a tool for making customers’ work more efficient and increasing automation. Our development is guided above all by the added value delivered to the customer and by security.”
Enerim currently uses AI both in its own software development and as part of customer solutions. In practice, AI can be seen, for example, in combining information from different systems into a single overall view, identifying anomalies in processes and data, automating repetitive work phases, and supporting decision-making.
“In the energy sector, many things now happen in real time. When information comes from several different sources at once, AI helps identify what is essential more quickly and reduces manual work.”
Kolmonen says that AI is good at identifying anomalies and quality issues in data. At the same time, the importance of software architecture is emphasized. Systems must be built so that the choices made by AI can be reviewed afterwards.
“In the future, different AI agents may be able to coordinate workflows with each other and help form high-quality entities as part of larger process chains, shifting the human role towards monitoring and guidance.”
Using AI requires governance
Although there are high expectations around AI, Kolmonen says the discussion about its risks is entirely justified.
“The energy sector is a critical industry for society. Requirements related to the use of data must be taken extremely seriously. The use of AI cannot be based on feeding data uncontrollably into different services.”
At Enerim, the use of AI is guided by clear policies and practices.
“We have defined how data may be used and what materials different AI agents are allowed to utilize. The strategy is to ensure information security, transparency and reliability.”
According to Kolmonen, governance will become one of the key competitive factors in the future as well.
Competitiveness comes from the ability to use data
It is therefore clear that the significance of AI in the energy sector will grow rapidly over the coming years. At the same time, customer expectations will also increase.
“Energy companies are expected to deliver an even better customer experience, more efficient processes and the ability to respond quickly to market changes. This is where AI brings genuinely new opportunities.”
According to Kolmonen, the role of AI is gradually changing from a background assistant into a genuine business capability.
“We are talking about a shift from an ‘AI-as-helper’ mindset towards an ‘AI-as-business capability’ mindset. AI is no longer just an individual tool, but part of how business is conducted.”
Enerim’s goal is to make new operating models available to customers as technology evolves.
“Customers do not need to monitor every technological change themselves. Our role is to ensure that the solutions evolve along with them and continue to bring competitiveness in the future.”
Although AI automates work phases and accelerates the processing of information, Kolmonen does not believe that expert work in the energy sector will disappear. Rather, roles will change.
“The energy sector will continue to require a deep understanding of processes, regulation, market models and customer needs. AI will inevitably become part of the work, but it will not replace deep expertise. In the future, competitiveness in the energy sector will be built on how effectively data can be utilized — and AI will become a key capability in that.”