# Unpacking Practical Applications for AI in Utilities with IBM

By Ben Thomas · Published 2025-04-10 · Updated 2026-06-08 · Professional AV on MarketScale
Canonical: https://www.marketscale.com/industries/pro-av/unpacking-practical-applications-for-ai-in-utilities-with-ibm
Creator hub: Pro AV Today

> Energy leaders are moving beyond AI hype to unlock tangible returns in decarbonization and grid modernization

## Key points

- Utilities are realizing significant ROI from AI, surpassing initial pilot project outcomes.
- Advanced AI implementations extend beyond basic chatbot functionalities into deeper operational areas.
- Smaller utilities like rural co-ops are leading the way in innovative AI applications.

Block Field

As the energy sector wrestles with decarbonization and digital transformation, AI in utilities has emerged as a potential game-changer. But while AI has generated excitement for years, real-world ROI has often remained elusive. That gap between hype and value is beginning to close. According to [**IBM**'s 2024 *Enterprise Generative AI*](https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/en-us/report/enterprise-generative-ai?utm_source=chatgpt.com) report, 64% of CEOs say they face significant pressure from stakeholders to accelerate generative AI adoption, while many energy leaders acknowledge their organizations are still early in the journey. The industry now faces a pivotal moment to either move beyond pilot projects and unlock measurable results or risk falling behind.

> The industry now faces a pivotal moment to either move beyond pilot projects and unlock measurable results or risk falling behind.

So, how are utilities starting to realize actual business value from AI, and what does it take to scale beyond experimentation?

This episode of [*Pro AV Today*](https://marketscale.com/shows/pro-av-today/), hosted by [Ben Thomas](https://www.linkedin.com/in/benthomasproav/), welcomes back [**Casey Werth**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-werth-8a793530/), North American Energy & Utilities Leader at **IBM**. Together, they unpack the changing AI landscape in energy, explore successful early use cases, and explain how utilities—from major players to rural co-ops—can take the next step in digital transformation.

**Highlights from the Conversation:**

-  **AI's ROI Moment**: After years of experimentation, utilities are demanding proof. From better load forecasting to smarter maintenance, machine learning and language models are now tied to measurable savings—sometimes in the tens of millions. 
-  **Beyond the Chatbot**: Many utilities started with low-risk deployments, such as internal search tools or customer-facing chat. However, the most impactful use cases often lie deeper in operations, like field ticketing, failure analysis, and demand response modeling. 
-  **Small Utilities, Big Moves**: Rural co-ops like [Dairyland Power](https://dairylandpower.com/) are proving nimble with AI in utilities, building internal GPTs and blazing trails that some investor-owned utilities haven't yet followed. 

### About the Speakers

**Casey Werth** is the Global General Manager for the Energy Industry at **IBM**, where he leads efforts to drive energy transition and decarbonization using AI, automation, and enterprise system optimization. He has spent more than a decade at **IBM** in global leadership roles focused on cloud strategy, sales, and technology development for the energy and utilities sectors. Werth also serves on the Board of Directors for the [GridWise Alliance](https://gridwise.org/) and is a member of several industry organizations and presents at industry forums, such as EEI, DistribuTECH, Cloud for Utilities and others.

Tags: AI in energy, Casey Werth, Energy transition technology, generative AI adoption, IBM

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