ABB has launched ABB Ability Augmented Operator as part of its participation at ADIPEC 2026 in Abu Dhabi
This AI-enabled software suite helps control room operators detect anomalies earlier, see how similar situations were previously handled in their facility, and test a response before making a change. The software explains its reasoning based on past data but leaves decision-making to human operators.
Augmented Operator integrates into an operator’s existing daily control system workflows, combining operational context, process knowledge, and AI-enabled guidance to help them understand what is happening and make decisions faster and with more confidence. It has been developed for chemicals, oil and gas, power generation, water, and other industries.
Augmented Operator uses AI to examine multiple data sources at once to detect subtle process changes, search years of plant history to show how similar situations were handled in the past, forecast critical process variables, and simulate outcomes. The software works as a single integrated system, presenting findings in one view.
Gino Hernandez, head of Global Digital Business at ABB’s Energy Industries division, said, “AI will play a growing part in the control rooms of industrial facilities, but it has to earn its place there. Operators need to understand and trust the tools they rely on, so how AI is introduced matters as much as what it can do. ABB has designed Augmented Operator to explain its reasoning, draw on a facility’s own experience and let operators test a change before they make it. This offering is an important step toward more autonomous operations, while keeping the humans in the loop.”
The launch comes as industries face a skills challenge. According to the International Energy Agency, in advanced economies, 2.4 energy workers are nearing retirement for every new entrant under 25. At the same time, the shift to centralised control rooms means smaller teams often oversee more of the process. Meanwhile, greater complexity means operators must make faster decisions using larger volumes of data.
Producers face the challenge of increasing output, improving yields, and reducing operating costs. By helping control room teams detect and respond to changes earlier, Augmented Operator can support safer, more efficient and more consistent operations. It can help facilities reduce unplanned shutdowns and off-specification production, and narrow performance differences from one shift to the next, drawing on past operating history so newer operators can benefit from the knowledge of those who came before them.
