Since its launch in November 2025, the Energy in Action Seminar Series hosted by the
Energy Transition Institute (ETI) has become a widely anticipated monthly forum for
exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) and cutting-edge technologies are shaping
the future of energy. 
The series, which features high-level speakers from industry, academia, and government, has already delivered three highly impactful seminars that saw strong attendance and deep engagement between the speaker and the audience. The networking receptions sponsored by Phillips 66 that follow each seminar allow participants to interact one-on-one with the speakers as well as university faculty and students, and are a great chance to build a strong network in the Greater Houston energy ecosystem.
The inaugural seminar in November, “AI, Energy, and Data Centers,” featured Raiford Smith, Global Market Lead for Power & Energy at Google Cloud. Smith explored how the explosive growth of AI is fueling record investments in energy infrastructure and reshaping the energy sector. He also spoke on the expansion of both traditional and carbon-free energy resources to support the growth of AI data centers.
In December, the series welcomed Leo Chiang, Senior Director of Corporate Technology at the Lubrizol Corporation and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, for his talk “Beyond the Hype: Amplifying AI Impacts in Fuel and Petrochemical Industry.” Chiang brought the fresh perspective of AI not being a replacement for human expertise but a powerful tool to amplify it. He shared examples from the industry demonstrating how humans and AI can work in tandem to accelerate research, optimize manufacturing operations, and support better decision-making.
In the most recent seminar, “AI and the Net-Zero Journey – Energy Demand, Emissions, and the Potential for Transition,” Detlef Hohl, Chief Scientist of Computation and Data Science at Shell, examined the rapidly growing energy demands of data centers and the implications for greenhouse gas emissions, presenting both near-term and longer-term scenarios. While acknowledging that AI’s expansion will likely increase electricity consumption in the short term, he presented a cautiously optimistic long-term outlook. His talk prompted a robust discussion with participants on whether AI will ultimately deliver a net positive impact on emissions.
Up Next
Building on this strong foundation, the Energy in Action Seminar Series over the coming months is all set to bring more timely and informative talks focusing on digital innovation in energy.
On February 27, 2026, the series will host Tathagata Basu, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Honeywell Process Automation, who will speak on “Artificial Intelligence in Energy Processes – From Control to Cognition.” Basu will explore how AI is moving industrial operations beyond traditional automation toward cognition-driven systems that combine data, analytics, and machine learning into intelligent feedback loops.
The seminar series continues on March 10, 2026, with the talk “Energy Transition and the New Energy Consumer,” presented by Samudra Sen, Vice President of Energy Transition Solutions at Vistra. Sen will examine how customers adopting rooftop solar, batteries, smart thermostats, EVs, and other connected technologies are becoming active participants in the energy ecosystem. The seminar will highlight how energy companies are developing new solutions to meet the needs of these new energy consumers and turn them into grid assets.
The high-profile Energy in Action Seminar Series was designed to promote vital dialogues with leaders in technology, policy, and innovation from key sectors. It reflects ETI’s commitment to leading impactful conversations on the latest trends in energy and continues to offer participants opportunities for both learning and networking.
To learn more about the upcoming seminars click here.
Register here to attend.