FERC · FERC-0002 · record R2058

Improve Safety Inspections Use Case

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission · FERC

Overview

Development stage: In development or acquisitionSource: a) Pre-deployment – The use case is in a development or acquisition status.
High-impact designation: Not high-impactSource: c) Not high-impact
Impact justification: This use case is in pre-deployment and initial analysis determines that it will not make decisions or take actions that directly affect individual rights, benefits, or services. Reassessment will be conducted upon development.
Start date: Not reported
Withheld from public reporting: OtherSource: d) Other

Mission

Topic area: Energy and the Environment
Operational functions: No function tag matched Derived by keyword rules; see methodology

Problem the AI is intended to solve

The AI solution is intended to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of dam and LNG pipeline structure inspections by FERCs Dam inspectors. It will analyze historical and real-time images, videos, and notes to identify potential safety defects and trends. This approach reduces the manual workload of safety inspectors and improve inspection timelines.

Expected benefits

Not reported

System outputs

Not reported

Technology

AI classification: Other
System name(s): Not reported
Custom-developed code: Yes
Public source code: Not reported

Sourcing

How it was built: Contract and in-houseSource: c) Developed with both contracting and in-house resources
Vendor (as reported): Zvolvant (Small Business)
Vendors (standardized): None on the standard list

A vendor is the supplier named by the agency. It does not identify the underlying model or AI technology.

Data and privacy

Involves PII: Not reported
Privacy Impact Assessment: Not reported
Authorization to Operate: No
Demographic features: k) None of the above
Training and evaluation data: Images obtained by the AI will build a repository for training.
Federal Data Catalog: Not reported

Governance

3 of 8 minimum-practice questions answered. A blank answer means the agency reported nothing; it does not mean the practice is absent.

Pre-deployment testingNo answer reported

AI impact assessmentReported in placeSource: a) Yes

Independent reviewReported in placeSource: c) Yes – by the CAIO

Ongoing monitoringNo answer reported

Operator trainingNo answer reported

Fail-safeNo answer reported

Appeal processNot applicableSource: b) Not applicable

User and public consultationNo answer reported

Potential impacts and how they were identified

Improved inspection accuracy and reduced manual review time were identified through pilot testing and analyst feedback.