An AI-generated ‘expert in your pocket’ is in development by Northumbrian Water for lone workers in the field to help with making real-time decisions.
Described as ‘having an experienced member of the team on hand 24/7’, Total Recall - an AI chatbot loaded with all of the knowledge, history, data and information from a company - is currently being developed by the water company.
This will help teams in the field who work alone to make smart, informed decisions by providing relevant answers and pointing to additional information when needed, all in real-time.
The system also helps to ensure vital knowledge, historically held by specific individuals who may have done a job for a long time, is passed on and maintained within a business, even when they have moved on.
Developed at Northumbrian Water’s Innovation Festival 2025, in partnership with CKDelta, the high-tech project will have intel from trusted resources, such as company-wide material and site-specific manuals – meaning it can remember not only which buttons to press, but also the historical results of the actions being taken.
It will also be voice-activated for hands-free use, and will allow users to have reassurance when carrying out jobs in the middle of the night.
This was looked at during the festival, as it was realised that field service operations often rely on fragmented systems and specific knowledge held by experienced staff nearing retirement, creating risk when critical information isn’t readily available.
Chris Fulton, Head of Water Supply at Northumbrian Water, said:
“This is set to be revolutionary for the utilities sector, and it will make such a difference to those workers who work alone out in the field without a colleague being there to advise.
“It will also be a great way of capturing and passing down the fantastic knowledge gathered over years of experience with colleagues who are nearing retirement and will be of huge benefit to the next generation of the workforce.
“We are now all aware of AI, and some of us use things like Chat GPT daily, however Total Recall will be different in the way that it can safely drill down into the specifics of a company – and I can’t wait to see how this project progresses.”
Fernando Ayuso, Head of Data Science and Data Engineering at CKDelta, added:
“Through our partnership with Northumbrian Water, Total Recall turns trusted operational data and years of know‑how into real time guidance for colleagues in the field. It supports safer, faster decision‑making, preserves institutional knowledge across the organisation, and provides dependable assistance whenever and wherever it is needed.”
CKDelta is owned by Nortumbrian Water’s parent company CK Hutchison, one of the largest companies listed on the main board of The Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
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