9th Annual Educational Seminar: AI for Industry – Driving Productivity and Sustainability

2024 Reverse Trade Show Educational Seminar: Exploring AI for Industry

The 9th Annual PEP Reverse Trade Show Educational Seminar took place on October 17, 2024 at the Fort Whiting Auditorium in Mobile, Alabama. This free event, open to the public, dove into “AI for Industry: Driving Productivity and Sustainability,” featuring experts across various industries.

The seminar gave a deep dive into artificial intelligence’s role in transforming industries, boosting productivity, and advancing sustainability. Below we’ve included a short description of each presentation, as well as video links to the full content presented to those in attendance.

AIndustry by Dr. Aviv Segev

Dr. Aviv Segev is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of South Alabama. His presentation, “AIndustry,” answers your questions about Artificial Intelligence, including: What are basic terms in AI? Where did all this AI come from and why now? Who are the big players in AI and what are they trying to do? Should I be scared of AI?

Real World Examples of AI Improving Daily Tasks by John Shoemaker

John Shoemaker is the Asset & Reliability Manager for BASF. In his presentation, “Real World Examples of AI Improving Daily Tasks,” he outlines how BASF is utilizing AI to improve everyday tasks, such as procedural GAP analysis, clear messaging, and configuring tools such as Power BI and other common IT tools.

How Today’s Industrial Digitalization Tools Improve Sustainability by Heath Stephens

Heath Stephens is the Digitalization Leader for Hargrove Controls and Automation. In his presentation, “How Today’s Industrial Digitalization Tools Improve Sustainability,” Heath outlines the current landscape of AI/ML and other tools available for industrial plants to improve reliability and efficiency to help you achieve your sustainability goals. He covers the state of the application marketplace, some common pitfalls, and winning strategies.

Harnessing AI at the Factory Floor by Phillip Hansel

Phillip Hansel is the CEO & Co-Founder of AI-OPS. In his presentation, “Harnessing AI at the Factory Floor: Autonomous Control using Deep Reinforcement Learning for Optimization and Savings,” Phillip demonstrates how AI can seamlessly integrate into existing control systems, delivering powerful optimization and energy savings directly to the factory floor. Key capabilities include anomaly detection, time series forecasting, soft transmitters, and deep reinforcement learning for autonomous control actions. Real-world manufacturing case studies are be presented, showcasing ROI achieved within 2-6 months.

AI in Wastewater Treament by Virginia Szepietowski

Virginia Szepietowski is the CEO & Co-Founder of NYAD. In her presentation, “AI in Wastewater Treament,” Virginia discusses how artificial intelligence can improve the economics of wastewater treatment. Nyad is an early-stage startup making pollutant removal cheaper, smarter and more efficient by applying computer vision and machine learning to biological monitoring in wastewater treatment.

Powering The Future With AI by Thomas Cihota

Thomas Cihota is the AI & Technology Leader at Plant Barry with Alabama Power. In his presentation, “Powering the Future with AI,” Tom discusses how AI and digital transformation are streamlining job tasks and preparing the next generation of power industry employees.

How to Protect Your Company from AI Cyber Security Threats by Phillip Long

Phillip Long is the CEO of Business Information Solutions, Inc. In his presentation, “How to Protect Your Company from AI Cyber Security Threats,” Phillip will provide key tips and strategies to prevent breaching your company’s security.