Physics-Informed Machine Learning (PIML) represents one of the most transformative developments in the upstream digital ecosystem—enabling the integration of governing physics with data-driven models through hybrid modeling frameworks, physics-constrained learning, and approaches such as PINNs and operator-learning methods. This panel brings together thought leaders from academia, digital technology providers, and major operating companies to explore how these hybrid physics-based AI models are redefining reservoir analysis, production optimization, and decision-making in unconventional assets.

Breakthrough technologies rarely emerge in isolation. This session brings together leaders from industry and academia to share real-world success stories where collaboration accelerated innovation and impact. The panel will explore how partnerships were formed, the process or delivering fundamental research, and how it all aligns with successful field application. Attendees will gain insight into what makes collaborations work, lessons learned from joint projects, and how cross-sector teamwork continues to shape the future of our industry.

Lithium and critical mineral extraction from unconventional resources is gaining increasing attention across the energy industry. This panel will bring together experts from industry and research to discuss the current status of lithium and critical mineral extraction, emerging technologies, and future growth opportunities. The discussion will also highlight key technical and economic challenges and explore potential solutions for advancing lithium and critical mineral recovery.

As unconventional plays mature, remaining Tier 1 inventory and subsurface risk are increasingly shaping capital allocation and asset valuations. This panel will explore how operators, investors, and bankers evaluate inventory depth, technical risk, and basin opportunities when making drilling and M&A decisions.

A focused look at ADNOC’s journey in developing the Dyab unconventional play, highlighting key learnings, the adoption of proven industry best practices, and the performance gains guiding the future of UAE unconventional development.

Increasingly, fracture surveillance reveals subsurface behavior that is far more complex than we often anticipate, forcing a reexamination of how hydraulic fracturing actually behaves. This special session brings together three integrated case studies that leverage advanced fracture surveillance – spanning slant‑well cores, fiber‑optic measurements, and tracer‑based analysis – to directly reveal fracture growth, proppant placement, and flow pathways. These presentations offer data‑driven insights into fracture complexity and connectivity, with important implications for stimulation design, interpretation, and development strategy.

The Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts (SPWLA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of petrophysics, formation evaluation, and log and core measurements for hydrocarbon, mineral, water, and geothermal resources, alongside Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS). SPWLA is proud to showcase a selection of top-rated papers from its 67th Annual Symposium (Conroe, TX, 2026). These presentations highlight emerging technologies and techniques tailored to the unique challenges operators encounter in unconventional resources, from tight oil and shale formations.

Recovery factors in shale reservoirs remain low, creating strong incentives to develop enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques tailored to ultra-low permeability systems. This session examines emerging EOR strategies for unconventional plays, including CO₂ huff-and-puff and cyclic gas injection, surfactant-assisted recovery, and wettability alteration approaches designed to improve imbibition and oil mobility in nanoporous rock. Presentations will highlight field pilots and case studies from major shale basins, laboratory investigations of key chemical mechanisms, and modeling of multiphase flow in fractured shale systems. The session will also explore hybrid approaches combining CO₂ and chemical EOR, with attention to operational, economic, and CCUS integration opportunities.

This session moves beyond the general “AI hype” to discuss the specific, high-stakes realities of Agentic AI in the oilfield. Featuring leaders from i2k Connect, Boundary RSS, Petrabytes, and SLB, the panel will provide a direct look at how autonomous agents are currently being used to solve the “data chaos” problem—from SLB’s Tela assistant and i2k’s automated extraction of buried knowledge to Petrabytes’ cloud-to-edge data governance and Boundary RSS’s AI-enhanced 3D subsurface models. The discussion will bypass generic clichés to focus on the technical “must-haves”: the specific sensor data, real-time integrity checks, and specialized data mesh required to transition from simple chatbots to agents that can geosteer a well or optimize a reservoir. Join us to learn where these autonomous workflows are delivering massive cost savings today and where the industry still needs to proceed with caution.