MARCON 2026 Presentation and Conference Review

2026 and Beyond – How to Transform Your Reliability Journey with Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Other Transformational Tools

The initial abstract that I submitted was for a one-hour presentation, Kim contacted me right away to gauge my willingness to expand my presentation into a three-and-a-half hour workshop.  Given the scope of the material that I hoped to cover, I eagerly agreed and asked Michael Guns to be a co-presenter.  Our workshop was titled 2026 and Beyond – How to Transform Your Reliability Journey with Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Other Transformational Tools. A few weeks before the conference there was an email from Kim asking if we could present to a larger group than first planned. We assured her that we could and the session was moved into a larger room for the presentation. Good problem to have. Seventy-eight conference goers committed three-and-a-half hours to interact and hear what we had to say.

The agenda was as follows:

• Introduction: slides 1-10
• Maintenance & Reliability Building Blocks: slides 11-30
• AI Foundation and Fundamentals: slides 31-48
• Tools & Resources: slides 49-59
• Reliability & AI Journey: slides 60-65
• The Case Study: slides 66-77
• What’s Next: slides 78-83
• Discussion and Q&A: slides 84-92

The first item on the agenda is the Introduction, and the normal items are there – presenter picture and info; agenda; and course description. Prior to the conference we conducted a survey of the participants registering for the workshop and got over 50% involvement. The survey was a quick quiz on AI fundamentals and gauged the participants’ AI experience and plans/budget/etc. for 2026. Quiz and results were reviewed in the Introduction section of the workshop and are posted in Chart #1. The results showed on average that:

• Overall quiz score was 55%
• Self-assessed AI knowledge level was between low and average
• Average use of AI in the six choices given was 39%
• Questions on AI training, current projects, budget, and long-term plan were all closer aligned to a “No” answer

As a lead into the presentation material, we review the Piper Alpha oil and gas platform fire incident to show the effects of poor maintenance and safety practices.

The next section is a nineteen-slide Reliability and Maintenance building blocks segment. The first item covered is “Where are you on your reliability, maintenance, and AI journey?” and what is needed to move forward. Other things presented/reviewed are:

• Defining success
• Reasons to proceed and not to proceed
• Organizational considerations
• Standards, framework, benchmarking, and assessments
• Technology
• Change management
• Communications
• Data, data, data
• Governance
• Process, procedures, checklists
• And more

These items are all foundational pieces that need to be in place, with a clear vision and strategy, to prepare for progress into AI and other advanced technologies desired for implementation.

AI Foundation and Fundamentals is an eighteen-slide section that starts with the history and evolution of AI. It then proceeds into current statistics on AI proficiency and the roadblocks to implementing AI projects, with suggestions on how to overcome these pitfalls. Proficiency is limited and the impeding elements include poor data quality (<30% data readiness), unreasonable AI project deliverables, and poor overall AI plan/approach/training. There was a deep dive of AI and ML applications. Definitions, limitations, examples, and subtopics are examined. AI is further broken down to traditional, predictive, generative, and agentic. That list is not complete but was included to show the most used applications and the complexity associated with AI. Speaking the same language on this topic will be important as forward progress continues. AI is examined from the standpoint of weaknesses and mistakes (hallucinations). Additionally, built in bias, stereotypes, and ethical issues are explored.

This final section will be encompassed by breaking down the remaining five areas of the presentation:

• Tools & Resources – Provides detailed information on resources, tools, and certifications available in the areas of maintenance, reliability, and AI. Examples are provided, as well as contact information for further details. Several company examples are highlighted to provide additional material.
• Reliability & AI Journey - There are several tools provided to tie together material previously discussed and material to facilitate the journey. These include:
• Common Sense ReliabilityTM Framework breakdown
• CMMS Best Practices
• Example 5-year Roadmap to Excellence
• Detailed list of deliverables
• Applicable research example
• The Case Study – Detailed AI case study requirements which cover everything from RACI, governance, readiness audit, action matrix, business case, decision framework, success definition, pilot, and tracking results/Return on Investment.
• What’s Next – Information from respected sources on what is forecast to be on the horizon for the next several years in our industries. Sources include Gartner, UpKeep, and industry specific studies.
• Discussion and Q&A – Four participants volunteered to be part of a Q&A panel, and we dove into the questions that were listed on the slides in this section. There was good audience participation. The questions were from the Reliability Academy and Erik Huple.

Conference Reflections and Closing Thoughts

All of us stay extremely busy meeting the daily demands of our jobs and most find it very difficult to stay up to date on all the changing technologies and methodologies involved.  Conferences, such as MARCON, play an integral part in keeping us abreast of these changes.  At first glance, it might seem a huge investment both in time and finances but the knowledge gained, connections renewed, and introductions made can all have a lasting impact on the day-to-day success of your organization.

MARCON 2026 was an enormous success, and it was fun to be involved. The presentations and workshops I attended were all well-presented and provided tools that can be used to improve day-to-day business. It was great to renew old friendships and make new ones. This is one of the best conferences you could attend and one of my favorites. Mark your calendars for MARCON 2027 for March 1-4, 2027. Check the website at https://marcon.utk.edu/ for further information and updates. Hope to see you in Knoxville next year!