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Where are utilities actually focusing their AI efforts? During our webinar, How AI Can Maximize Utility Expertise, we polled 77 attendees about their AI priorities and adoption progress. Because these are people who chose to attend an AI webinar, they likely lean more AI-curious than the industry overall, but their responses still provide a valuable snapshot of how utilities are approaching AI today.
Three clear trends were revealed:
- Utilities are prioritizing operational outcomes
- About one in three are already evaluating or using AI
- Most, 68%, haven't started yet or aren't sure where to begin
Utilities see the greatest value in operations
When asked where AI could provide the most benefit, nearly 87% of responses pointed to operational applications such as asset management, SOP retrieval, and incident response. In other words, utilities are less interested in AI as a novelty and more interested in where it can improve everyday work.
For utility teams, the challenge is rarely a lack of information. More often, it's finding the right information quickly and making confident decisions when time matters. AI is increasingly being viewed as a way to help bridge this gap.
The takeaway is clear: utilities are most interested in AI when it helps people work more efficiently, access expertise faster, and make better operational decisions.
One in three utilities is already evaluating or using AI
The poll results also suggest that AI adoption is accelerating. 32% of attendees reported that they are already evaluating AI use cases or actively using AI within their organizations.
That's a meaningful minority, and for those utilities, the conversation has changed. The question is no longer whether AI is relevant to their operations, but how to prioritize use cases, deploy AI securely, prepare the right data, and ensure it delivers meaningful business value.
Rather than debating whether AI belongs in utility operations, many organizations are now focused on putting it into practice.
Many utilities still need a starting point
While adoption is growing, not every utility is in the same place. In fact, 68% of attendees indicated that they either have not yet explored AI or are unsure where to begin. This highlights one of the biggest challenges facing the industry today: interest in AI is high, but interest alone doesn’t create a roadmap.
Utilities need a way to assess readiness, identify high-impact use cases, and understand how AI can fit within existing workflows and governance structures. Without that foundation, it can be difficult to move from curiosity to measurable results.
For many organizations, the most effective starting point is identifying a specific operational challenge where AI could help teams work more efficiently or make better-informed decisions.
The bigger takeaway: AI must deliver operational value
Taken together, the poll results reinforce a broader trend: utilities believe in AI's potential, but they’re looking for practical outcomes. As AI adoption continues to mature, success will depend less on the technology itself and more on how effectively it’s applied to real utility challenges.
For utilities, the next step is identifying where AI can strengthen decision-making and help teams put their existing expertise to work faster. That’s where AI has the greatest potential to move from interest to impact.
Watch the full webinar to hear more about how utilities are thinking about AI adoption and where practical use cases are beginning to take shape.
