a smarter way to prospect for oil and gas

Launched in August 2024, ApEX was first used in deepwater exploration in the Gulf of America to streamline the subsurface exploration process. Chevron explorationists simply enter a query into ApEX's chat interface; in seconds, ApEX uses multiple search "agents" to comb through more than a million files and return insights from widespread sources.

Think of each of ApEX's multiple search agents as an expert on a specific topic. Each agent has its own responsibilities, background information, and access to tools and systems. For example, the system's geospatial agent owns tasks related to maps, while an exploration review team agent aids in assessing a prospective drill site's chance of success.

These specialized agents work together to address a query from different angles. The aim is higher-quality, more relevant answers for explorationists in real time.

ApEX's multi-agent framework also helps manage the widely varied information explorationists need.

"In some cases, they may be looking for ideas that might work in a particular area of the world. In others, they may want to know specific examples of prospects that had been identified and what made them unique," said Chadwick Holmes, a senior manager of technology data and AI at Chevron. "And we even get down to searches like 'what is the porosity of the rock that we are targeting in this particular area.'"