Energy’s New “AI Employee”: How ADNOC Leverages Non‑Human Workers and Voice AI Agents to Power the Future

A new era of industrial intelligence

On November 2, 2025, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced three major agreements with Gecko Robotics, marking a decisive shift in how its operations will be managed by Non‑Human Workers such as robotics and AI systems. The deals cover a multi‑year deployment of Gecko’s Cantilever system (which pairs inspection robots with AI data analytics) across ADNOC Gas’s assets; exploration of manufacturing robotic systems in the UAE; and a training initiative via the ADNOC Technical Academy to equip UAE Nationals to work alongside these new AI Employees. 

This matters because in heavy industry, downtime and manual inspection are major cost and safety drivers. By automating inspection and data collection with robotics empowered by AI, ADNOC is aiming to reduce unplanned outages, boost efficiency, and shift toward predictive maintenance — essentially bringing Non‑Human Workers into core operations in a meaningful way.

What exactly is happening, and why it’s significant

Here are the key facts:

• The first agreement: Gecko’s Cantilever system to be deployed across ADNOC Gas assets, marking ADNOC’s venture into robotics through its AI joint‑venture AIQ.  
• The second agreement: ADNOC and Gecko will explore wider use of advanced robotics + AI‑powered analytics across onshore/offshore assets and potentially manufacture robotic systems in the UAE.  
• The third agreement: A collaboration between Gecko Robotics and the ADNOC Technical Academy to launch training programmes for UAE Nationals in robotics, AI and digital maintenance.  
• Reported benefits: In earlier pilots, Gecko claimed the robot/AI approach delivered ~93 % efficiency improvement in inspection coverage and significant safety gains (reduction in lost‑time injury risk) compared with traditional methods. 
  This is important because it signals a transformation in how industrial maintenance and operations are done: from human‑only, reactive models to humans working alongside AI Employees and robots that collect physical/logistical data, analyze it and help drive decisions. It also underscores the growing role of Voice AI Agents or data‑driven AI systems integrated into operations to interpret insights and enable action.

Broader implications: The rise of the AI Employee in energy

This development reflects the broader trend of companies turning into technology companies, especially in sectors like energy. Gecko’s CEO put it most clearly: “The energy companies that win won’t just utilise technology — they will become technology companies… acquire physical data using robotics and unlock human and machine performance from the AI that data fuels.” 

In effect, the “AI Employee” is now a real concept in industry: robotics performing inspection, AI analytics interpreting the data, and human workers overseeing and executing the outcomes. Voice AI Agents may be part of the workflow too — for example, interpreting inspection results and prompting human engineers for intervention.

For ADNOC, the move also supports UAE’s ambitions to become a global hub for energy‑innovation and to build local talent capable of working with these Non‑Human Workers. The training agreement is the social dimension of this transformation.

Key Highlights:

• Three deals between ADNOC and Gecko Robotics: deployment of Cantilever system, expansion into manufacturing and analytics, and training programmes.
• Target: shift from manual inspections and reactive maintenance to robotics, AI analytics and predictive maintenance.
• Example gains: pilot results showed ~93 % improvement in inspection efficiency; fewer safety exposures.
• Strategic importance: marks a step toward making ADNOC one of the world’s “most AI‑enabled energy companies”; underscores the notion of Non‑Human Workers (robots/AI) as active participants in operations.
• Broader trend: Industry embracing AI Employees and Voice AI Agents to manage data, control decision‑flows and integrate machines and humans in new workflows.

Reference:

https://www.offshore-technology.com/news/adnoc-gecko-robotics-robotics-ai/