In the world of business, conventional wisdom suggests that early adopters of new technologies walk a tightrope. On the one hand, they stand to gain the most, getting a head start over the competition. On the other, they expose themselves to risk, both financially and operationally.
In the energy sector, the past few years have seen companies dip their toes in the silvery waters of AI, though few have embraced it in quite the way German energy giant Uniper is today.
The European heavyweight has been working closely with a company named Celonis on a digital transformation programme that will embed AI right across its operations, from offices to power plants.
Process intelligence firm Celonis is what is known as a 'decacorn', which is a privately owned start-up worth more than US$10bn. Judging by its plans for Uniper, it is easy to see why Celonis is rubbing shoulders with the elites of the European tech sector just 15 years on from its founding.
The rationale behind the collaboration is straightforward enough.
