Interview with Victoria Ossadnik, COO at E.ON

OSSADNIK The introduction of E.ON GPT, an internal version of ChatGPT that meets our security standards, marks a new era for our employees. The interest and willingness of our colleagues to use this digital assistant are tremendous: thousands have tried the tool during its rollout, generating nearly 8,000 sessions. We observe more than 500 active chats every day. I am particularly pleased that our training sessions on prompting and integrating E.ON GPT into internal processes have been met with great interest. Several hundred employees participate in each training, and the demand continues to grow. 

OSSADNIK At E.ON, the use of artificial intelligence encompasses both of our business areas: energy infrastructure and customer solutions. We also employ generative AI to support our employees and enhance customer interfaces through AI. In the network sector, AI holds the potential to make our infrastructure even more resilient in a decentralized energy world.  Currently, we are testing and exploring ways to implement AI across various areas of our network business. For instance, we already use the technology for analyzing drone imagery, predictive maintenance, and ecological route management. One example from the customer solution segment is an app that assesses the solar potential on rooftops. 

OSSADNIK Artificial intelligence will play a key role as a vehicle in the energy system of the future. Digital solutions and the use of artificial intelligence are not only needed to drive forward the energy transition in day-to-day business, for example to optimize planning with the help of a digital twin of the grid. Additionally, daily work routines of our employees can be supported by generative AI, such as in tasks related to research and text processing. 

OSSADNIK With AI support, we will be able to tackle the challenges of the energy transition more efficiently and rapidly, without necessarily replacing existing jobs. Instead, profiles will evolve through the integration of technologies like artificial intelligence. Furthermore, we are consistently expanding our expertise in the data and AI domain and anticipate significant employee growth in the coming months and years. 

OSSADNIK In an increasingly decentralized energy system, the energy transition takes place within the distribution network. Last year, E.ON connected its one-millionth renewable energy installation to its grids. According to the climate policy goals of the federal government, an additional six million new renewable energy installations and decentralized consumers need to be integrated into the system by 2030. This presents opportunities for grid operators but also poses challenges that can only be addressed (in addition to network expansion) through consistent digitization and the use of artificial intelligence. In the future, AI will play an even greater role in managing the volatile feed-in behavior of millions of renewable energy installations and decentralized consumers, leading to efficiency gains and flexibility throughout the entire energy system. 

OSSADNIK  We already have several hundred data and AI specialists throughout the company, most of whom work in our digital unit but are deployed on an interdisciplinary basis. We will continue to increase the number of experts over the next few years. 

OSSADNIK Before implementing AI applications at E.ON, our experts from cybersecurity, legal, and data protection assess whether the tool aligns with our security standards. If it does, E.ON employees receive guidelines for the respective programs. 

OSSADNIK We see that the IT labor market is tight, but we are pleased that we are able to convince many specialists. At our organization, employees can actively shape and implement climate protection and the energy transition. We also focus on qualifying our employees through digital empowerment in order to promote lifelong learning and offer them tailored training opportunities – and also to make the most of the potential of AI. 

OSSADNIK Access to climate tech and the resulting digital solutions is a central cornerstone of our innovation initiatives, with which we integrate new technologies and start-up solutions into the E.ON business. Collaborating within global networks and partnerships accelerates and fosters innovation. We rely on an innovation ecosystem consisting of diverse partners such as start-ups and universities. Furthermore, we have been investing in a portfolio of around 50 start-ups via Future Energy Ventures for years, thereby ensuring access to technologies such as AI. In January, E.ON, together with the European Investment Fund (EIF) and Future Energy Ventures (FEV), launched a newly established fund to support intelligent innovations for the energy transition. The fund managed by FEV already has a volume of 110 million euros and a target size of 250 million euros. The newly created fund is open to external investors. 

OSSADNIK In my professional work, I primarily use AI through tools like Copilot for Teams, PowerPoint, and E.ON GPT. The efficiency gains and time savings enabled by AI in workflows continue to impress me daily, particularly in terms of collaborative features and text generation.