255: Generative, Physics-Informed and Agentic AI in Geophysics

"We’re not replacing geophysicists; we’re giving them superpowers to analyze data faster and better." Explore the cutting-edge world of generative and physics-informed AI with Vladimir Kazei, guest editor for The Leading Edge. AI is transforming geophysics, from revolutionizing seismic imaging to pushing the boundaries of computational efficiency. Vladimir shares how these advancements reshape subsurface exploration and what this means for the industry's future. KEY TAKEAWAYS > What geophysicists can do today - AI tools are already available to assist with seismic inversion, velocity model building, and data interpretation. Geophysicists can start experimenting with these technologies now. > AI and computational efficiency - Machine learning drastically reduces processing times, allowing faster and more cost-effective subsurface analysis. > The road to adoption - Successful AI integration in geophysics depends on bridging knowledge gaps, fostering collaboration, and ensuring transparency in machine learning models. CALL TO ACTION Want to dive deeper into this exciting field? Check out The Leading Edge’s special issue on AI in geophysics and explore Vladimir’s editorial insights. You can find it at https://library.seg.org/toc/leedff/44/2. SHARE THIS EPISODE If you found this episode helpful, please message a friend to listen. To help out, here’s a possible message you could send them. AI isn’t just hype - this episode highlights real applications making a difference today. GUEST BIO Vladimir Kazei is a research geophysicist at Aramco Americas. Vladimir received his PhD in Geophysics from the Saint Petersburg State University and the Schmidt Institute of the Physics of the Earth of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2016. He then worked as a research scientist at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology before joining the Houston Research Center of Aramco Americas in 2020. Vladimir’s contributions to applied geophysics in areas of machine learning, Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), and Full-Waveform Inversion (FWI) were noted as groundbreaking innovations by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and marked with a prestigious Clarence J. Karcher award in 2023. He actively participates in organizing SEG’s workshops on DAS and AI. Since 2023, Vladimir has served on The Leading Edge journal editorial board and has led special sections on Digitalization, Sustainability, and Generative and Physics-Informed AI. LINKS * Visit https://seg.org/podcasts/episode-255-generative-physics-informed-and-agentic-ai-in-geophysics for links to the articles in The Leading Edge.