Impact of human capital on the competitiveness of oil and gas companies in the context of artificial intelligence technologies development

The article is devoted to the assessment of the competitiveness dependence of oil and gas companies on human capital in the context of introduction of artificial intelligence (hereinafter referred to as AI). The research subject is the integration of human capital and digital technologies into the production and management processes of the oil and gas complex. The purpose of the study is to identify patterns of the influence of the interaction of technological innovations and human capital on the efficiency and compe titiveness of industrial production in the oil and gas complex. The methodological base includes a structural and functional approach, comparison of the categories “human capital” and “human factor”, analysis of regulatory documents on ergonomics and reliability of human-machine systems, content analysis of scientific and analytical sources and generalisation of industry empirical data. It has been established that the development of AI increases the requirements for personnel training and forms the dependence of the effectiveness of digital solutions on the quality of human capital. It is revealed that the lack of competencies hinders the introduction of AI and increases technolo gical and organisational risks. Industry cases of Russian companies demonstrate that intelligent systems reduce costs and increase productivity with a well-developed training and retraining infrastructure. It has been established that competitive advantages are provided not only and not so much by technology, but by the development of competencies and corporate expertise centres. It is shown that human capital and the human factor act as a single whole, forming the potential and effectiveness of human-machine systems. The prospects for further research are related to the development of quantitative models for assessing the contribution of human capital to the economic effects of digital transformation and the analysis of personnel training and retraining systems.

1. Afanasiev V.Ya., Bolshakova O.I., Romantsov A.A. Transformation of the fuel and energy complex to ensure Russia’s energy security in the era of sanctions restrictions. Vestnik universiteta. 2023;9:93–102. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.26425/1816-4277-2023-9-93-102

2. Nwankwo Ch.D., Arewa A.O., Theophilus S.C., Esenowo V.N. Analysis of accidents caused by human factors in the oil and gas industry using the HFACS-OGI framework. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. 2022;3(28):1642–1654. https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2021.1916238

3. Schultz Th.W. Investment in human capital. American Economic Review. 1961;1(51).

4. Graham B. The Penguin dictionary of economics. 2nd ed. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books; 1984.

5. Michurina O.Yu., Dubinina N.A., Karlina E.P. The human capital assessment methodology adaptation for oil and gas industry enterprises. Vestnik of Astrakhan State Technical University. Series: Economics. 2023;4:44–57. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.24143/2073-5537-2023-4-44-57

6. Eremina I.Yu., Babayeva L.I. Human capital as the main resource of competitive ability of oil and gas companies under conditions of digitalization and sanctions pressure. Problems of economics and management of the oil and gas complex. 2023;8(224):45–49. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.33285/1999-6942-2023-8(224)-45-49

7. Johnsen S.O., Winge S. Human factors and safety in automated and remote operations in oil and gas: a review. In: 33rd European safety and reliability conference (ESREL 2023): Proceedings, Southampton, 3–8 September 2023. Singapore: Research Publishing; 2023. Pp. 2288–2295. https://doi.org/10.3850/978-981-18-8071-1_P271-cd

8. Пескова М.Е., Бурцев Д.С. Направления совершенствования управления инновациями на предприятиях нефтегазовой отрасли. Экономика. Информатика. 2024;3(51):610–620. https://doi.org/10.52575/2687-0932-2024-51-3-610-620

9. Чеботарев Н.Ф. Развитие человеческого капитала нефтегазовой компании как базисное условие эффективности применения информационных цифровых технологий и систем.Проблемы экономики и управления нефтегазовым комплексом. 2020;3(183):60–64. https://doi.org/10.33285/1999-6942-2020-3(183)-60-64

10. Afanasyev V.Yu., Grabchak E.P., Korytny M.A., Mishcheryakov S.V., Cherezov A.V. Human capital for digital economy modernization. Management. 2019;2(7):104–115. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.26425/2309-3633-2019-2-104-115

11. Nevskaya M.A., Belyaev V.V., Aleshichev S.E., Vinogradova V.V., Shagidulina D.I. Data systematization and preliminary analysis of accidental oil and petroleum product spills in the Russian Arctic and Far North. Resources. 2025;14(9):147–167. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources1409014

12. Theophilus S.C., Esenowo V.N., Arewa A.O., Ifelebuegu A.O., Nnadi E.O., Mbanaso F.U. Human factors analysis and classification system for the oil and gas industry (HFACS-OGI). Reliability Engineering & System Safety. 2017;167:168176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ress.2017.05.036

13. Nwankwo Ch.D., Arewa A.O., Theophilus S.C., Esenowo V.N. Analysis of accidents caused by human factors in the oil and gas industry using the HFACS-OGI framework. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. 2022;3(28):1642–1654. https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2021.1916238

14. Porter M.E. Competitive аdvantage. Creating and sustaining superior performance. New York: Free Press; 1998. 592 p.

15. Barney J. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 1991;1(17):99–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700108