Bentley Systems betting on AI for collaboration-enabled grid resilience

When people who are interested in joining the utilities sector industry ask Brad Johnson what the space is like, he tells them: “You'll certainly never leave: it's a bit of a Hotel California and that’s because what we do directly impacts quality of life in so many ways.”

Johnson is Bentley Systems’ Director of Electric Utilities Solutions, and he’s passionate about contributing to developing stronger, more resilient grids not only for altruistic reasons, but also because he believes the future depends on it.

“A reliable grid is absolutely mandatory for many, interconnected reasons,” he states. “It’s about helping economies evolve – as countries determine their economic future, a reliable grid is essential, especially if we're going to decarbonise industry.

“Another motivator, particularly in such geopolitically turbulent times, is the need to adapt to a rapidly changing landscape within the supply chain. There are many different impetuses for why we need to do better.”

Johnson is speaking at Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure 2025 event in Amsterdam, a gathering where the main focus was, unsurprisingly, on all-things AI.

He describes utilities as sitting at an interesting intersection where AI is on both sides: “It’s contributing to the demand [for power], and it's going to directly help us solve demand-driven problems.”

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How does he envision this help emerging? “I think AI will enable us to overcome some of the limitations of our ability to interpret massive amounts of data all at once, to help ensure we're building a maximally resilient, reliable and affordable grid,” he answers.

“We're now mature enough as an industry to understand that that information exists and it's a capital asset, sometimes a stranded asset, so AI will help us ‘unstrand’ that data and incorporate it into work processes, leading to a better outcome at a lower cost on a shorter time horizon.

“And when we talk about construction solutions such as Bentley’s Synchro design software, AI will make sure that we can build the better solutions that we're designing now.”

Building new, purpose-built infrastructure is one thing, but can AI-based tools help to mitigate against the problems caused by the ageing existing infrastructure that so many countries are currently grappling with? Johnson reports that it can – and indeed, already is.

“For instance, reality data is very rich and the new breed of solutions here go far beyond traditional photogrammetry,” he details.

“We're generating all this data and finding areas where the power infrastructure has aged in a way that makes it more vulnerable – such as leaning poles, missing components, clearances that have shrunk between the wires – and using automation and AI to assess all these data points will allow utilities and engineering firms to pinpoint which things need to be fixed most urgently.”

Johnson is keen to note that this digital transition is “not about replacing the engineers that are at their desks today”. Instead, he says, it's about “helping them do the best work of their careers. Alongside that, it’s also about filling the desks that are empty because we aren't finding enough engineering graduates to fill.”

Bentley itself is big on supporting the educational environment to encourage a pipeline of eager new minds to join the software giant’s ranks. Johnson explains that schools and universities are given free access to its software tools so students can start designing and tinkering to foster an interest early on.

For those STEM students, Johnson’s advice is to learn the engineering concepts as well as how you'll use automation to get those things done. “AI is not going to do everything for you; it will be an assistive technology,” he cautions.

Parallel to this, he also warns those entering the industry not to get too comfortable with the way things are done: “We're moving faster now than we ever have in the history of industry, and it's going to take curious, fast-moving mindsets to build a better future.”

The utilities evangelist also cites the importance of bringing in new expertise that may not be on the obvious STEM pathways. “Bentley is a company of engineers, and so we individually also feel a responsibility to be present – maybe even inspiring,” he explains with genuine enthusiasm.

“We want to encourage the nieces, the nephews, the neighbours, and just be present in our community, supporting anyone with an interest in engineering.”

Capturing initial curiosity and capitalising on it also forms the heart of the guidance Johnson offers to his peers, not all of whom may be fully on-board with the industry’s new digital direction.

During one of his speeches at the Year in Infrastructure 2025 event, Johnson warned the audience “not to let perfect be the enemy of good”. Expanding on this, he says the advice was inspired from recent conversations with several investor-owned utilities.

He reveals: “Utilities have a history – and they'll admit this – of having a sense of inadequacy when it comes to data. We’ve heard for a long time ‘our maps aren’t quite there yet’ but in actual fact, by this point, the data probably is pretty darn good.”

So, Johnson encourages industry stakeholders with such concerns not to wait until things are ‘perfect’ to take the next steps. His advice here is simple: “If you're going to use data that you don't have 100% confidence in, then be very transparent about the characteristics and reliability or trustworthiness of that data.

“If, for example, you're using reality capture data, then make sure it's really clear what resolution was it when was it last collected. Perhaps display in context other projects that have taken place near there, so the engineer knows whether they have to deploy image capture.”

Johnson adds: “It's more about being transparent regarding the data that's being used, rather than getting to a point where you can have blind trust in it.”

Johnson’s advice can ultimately be boiled down to the old Nike ‘Just do it!’ slogan: “I think utilities and engineering firms must embrace the idea that although you shouldn't be satisfied with bad, ‘pretty good’ is at least enough to help make meaningful change,” he comments.

But he emphasises that engineers must remain at the centre of this digital evolution. “The engineer is still going to make a judgment call. As long as we maintain that level of awareness and control at the engineer’s desk, then they are free to take more of a chance on trying something new and using data differently.”