190-2 AI for GeoDummies: Enhancing Geoscience Workflows with Accessible Artificial Intelligence(Special Session: Generative Artificial Intelligence)

Abstract:

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming geoscience, yet many practitioners struggle to leverage it effectively for daily technical tasks. This presentation demystifies AI by offering a practical guide for non-specialists seeking to harness these tools for skill development, communication enhancement, and research acceleration—without requiring advanced computational expertise.

Focusing on large language models (LLMs), we demonstrate how AI serves as an interactive tutor for complex topics like seismic interpretation, wave propagation, rock physics, and reservoir characterization. Attendees will learn to utilize AI for:

Learning & Synthesis: Explaining equations, summarizing technical papers, translating concepts into visuals (e.g., ray-path animations), and generating Python scripts for data analysis.

Productivity: Editing abstracts, proposals, and presentations (e.g., PowerPoint slides), alongside automating RFP documentation.

Research Support: Streamlining public-data searches, formatting production data, calculating unconventional reservoir type curves, and visualizing seismic attributes.

Practical case studies highlight emerging applications, including computer vision adaptations for seismic-volume interpretation—enabling fault detection, facies mapping, and stratigraphic pattern recognition via image-classification techniques.

Critically, we emphasize that AI is not a replacement for domain expertise. Tools may produce erroneous code, misleading interpretations, or "hallucinated" outputs if unchecked. Success hinges on:

Guarded Implementation: Using bounded questions, curated input data, and iterative prompting.

Expert Oversight: Mandating geoscientist validation for all AI-generated content.

Data Security: Avoiding exposure of proprietary/client data in public AI platforms.

The goal is to empower geoscientists to work faster and learn more efficiently while upholding scientific rigor. By integrating AI as a collaborative assistant—not an oracle—professionals can enhance innovation without compromising accountability for final interpretations. This talk bridges the gap between AI’s potential and its pragmatic, ethical deployment in geoscience.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 5, 2026

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026AM-21844

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