Panel 1 at Future Digital Twin & AI USA 2026 brought together leaders from Motiva, ExxonMobil, Oxy, Honeywell and Falkor to examine how industrial AI and digital twins can enable the workforce rather than replace it. The discussion focused on the leadership, trust, governance and organisational change required to help teams adopt AI with confidence.
A central theme of the panel was the need to combine human judgement with machine intelligence. Speakers emphasised that AI should act as a decision-support layer, helping people interpret data, improve workflows and make better operational decisions, while still relying on domain expertise, critical thinking and human oversight to validate outputs and manage risk.
The panel also explored the importance of psychological safety, training and change management. As AI tools become easier to access across organisations, leaders must create safe environments for experimentation, provide clear guardrails, and help employees understand both the opportunities and risks of using AI in industrial settings. This includes addressing concerns around job displacement while showing how AI can augment roles, improve productivity and open new areas of value creation.
Looking ahead, the discussion highlighted that successful AI adoption will depend on more than technology alone. Organisations will need clear strategies, responsible governance, strong relationships across teams, and a willingness to learn from both success and failure. The panel concluded that the future of industrial AI lies in empowering people, strengthening workflows and ensuring that digital transformation delivers real operational value.
Speakers
- Prasanna Tankhiwale , Digital Transformation Leader, Motiva
- Cristi Nastase , Senior Principal Enterprise Architect – GenAI, ExxonMobil
- Shane McArdle , CEO, Falkor
- Dipti Sankpal , Manager, IT Analytics & AI Enablement, Oxy
- Prashant Jagarlapudi , Sr. Director of Portfolio for the Data and Analytics pillar, Honeywell Connected Industrials
Moderator
- Lisa Sacco , North America Marketing & Brand Manager, ExxonMobil
