In late June, Berkeley Lab hosted its inaugural AI for Operations Workshop bringing together more than 70 participants from across the Lab and several additional institutions. Building on the success of previous UC and DOE-level AI summit, this daylong, in-person event provided a unique forum to explore how AI can help transform operational functions at the Lab to work more efficiently, strategically, and in alignment with the Lab’s mission.
Throughout the day, participants engaged in small-group discussions around key themes, including:
- How AI is currently being used—or could be used—in their business domains
- Barriers to adoption, skills gaps, and opportunities for training
- Identifying business processes ripe for AI-enabled transformation
Cross-domain breakout sessions encouraged attendees to think beyond their immediate areas of responsibility and collaborate on broader ideas that could improve operational efficiency Lab-wide. The summit served as a venue not just for learning, but for ideation: participants were challenged to generate practical ideas and stretch goals for how AI could be applied, from “easy wins” to longer-term, transformative opportunities.
“AI isn’t a silver bullet—it’s a tool that can help us work smarter, but it requires human creativity and judgment to guide it,” said Adam Stone, CIO/IT Division Director. “This summit was about bringing people together to imagine where AI can make a meaningful difference in how we support the Lab’s mission, improve services, and free up time for more strategic work.”
By the end of the day, participants left with new ideas, fresh connections, and a shared sense of possibility about how Operations at Berkeley Lab can evolve. The IT Division and Operations leadership expressed their appreciation to all who participated and helped make the summit a success.
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