Blog
Future-Ready Utilities: Article 1
AI is only as effective as the data that teaches it — yet most utilities are already collecting valuable inspection data without realizing how much future insight they’re leaving on the table. In the first article of the Future-Ready Utilities series, we explore why labeled inspection data is the true foundation of applied AI, how industries from aviation to wind energy learned this lesson the hard way, and why utilities don’t need new technology to start preparing today. This article explains, in plain language, how simple data discipline can turn routine inspections into lasting operational knowledge — long before AI ever enters the workflow.
David E. Thomas Joins RIS as Vice President of Sales
We are excited to announce that David E. Thomas has joined Remote Intelligence Solutions (RIS) as Vice President of Sales. A veteran electric utility executive with decades of experience in enterprise software and grid modernization, David brings critical insight into how utilities adopt new technology. As RIS expands the reach of UTELinspect, our inspection data management platform, David will help utilities translate today’s asset data challenges into tomorrow’s AI-ready solutions.
Michael F. Watson Joins RIS as Strategic Advisor
We’re proud to welcome Michael F. Watson, former co-op utility CEO, as Strategic Advisor to Remote Intelligence Solutions. With decades of hands-on experience managing 6,000 miles of line and over 100,000 poles, Michael knows what it takes to run reliable operations — and where AI can make a difference.
Modernizing the Electric Grid with Remote Intelligence Solutions
This week, we’re excited to share that Remote Intelligence Solutions (RIS) has been featured in a spotlight article by MIT’s CSAIL Alliances. The piece explores how we’re using applied AI to help utilities inspect and manage critical infrastructure more efficiently and safely. But this isn’t just a media moment — it’s a reflection of the relationships, research, and real-world relevance behind our mission.
Revolutionizing Utility Inspections
The energy sector is challenged daily in its mission to deliver crucial services reliably, a task that becomes even more critical during emergencies. Innovations such as unmanned aircraft have transformed the efficiency of both routine and emergency inspections across vast distances and in the face of hazardous conditions. Traditionally, inspection processes have been bogged down by cumbersome steps, including uploading data to unstructured storage solutions like Dropbox, then laboriously converting this data into a structured format for further analysis and integration into geospatial systems....