Water uniquely well-positioned for AI transformation

The water sector is uniquely well-positioned for AI transformation. That’s according to a new White Paper from the UK Water Partnership, British AI and data specialist Aiimi.

The paper highlighted that the water sector possesses decades' worth of data from infrastructure systems, customer interactions and environmental monitoring — yet insights are often locked in siloed systems. It argued that by organising and labelling siloed data, water companies could unlock AI innovation and enable the implementation of practical tools that would help them meet the challenges of ambitious capital programmes, climate resilience and affordability.

AI Within Reach laid out a roadmap for responsible AI adoption across the UK water sector and outlined potential use cases, including:

• Customer-facing chatbots that explain storm overflow data in plain language, increasing transparency and trust.

• Predictive maintenance tools that reduce unplanned downtime and leakage by identifying asset risks in real time.

• Smart energy management systems that optimise pump usage in line with renewable energy availability.

• Climate analysis platforms that pinpoint infrastructure vulnerable to future flood risk.

The White Paper also identified barriers to adoption, including the lack of enabling policy, regulatory uncertainty and skills gaps — and provided recommendations for overcoming them. It championed coordinated action and collaboration across utilities, regulators, technology providers, and academia to accelerate AI maturity in the sector.