The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) jointly hosted the International Workshop on Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear Energy on 4–5 May 2026 at the International Convention Center, Jeju, Korea. Held under the theme Building the AI playbook to accelerate deployment and reduce costs, the workshop brought together more than 170 policymakers, industry and technology representatives, experts and emerging leaders to better understand how artificial intelligence (AI) can transform nuclear energy across its full life cycle.
International Workshop Overview
The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) co-hosted the International Workshop on Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear Energy on May 4-5, 2026, in Jeju, Korea. The event, themed 'Building the AI playbook to accelerate deployment and reduce costs,' convened over 170 policymakers, industry and technology representatives, experts, and emerging leaders. Its primary goal was to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can effectively transform and enhance the nuclear energy sector throughout its entire lifecycle, focusing on accelerating deployment and reducing associated costs.
AI's Current Impact and Deployment Challenges
Discussions at the workshop highlighted that AI is already delivering substantial value within the nuclear sector. Participants emphasized that the core challenge isn't the development of AI algorithms themselves, but rather scaling their deployment effectively. This requires robust high-quality data governance, ensuring the explainability of AI models, producing regulatory-grade evidence, and seamlessly integrating AI solutions into engineering and maintenance workflows. Practical examples were shared, illustrating how AI can directly link plant performance data with operational and economic decision-making processes on a fleet-wide scale.
Expanding AI Applications and Ethical Considerations
The exchanges also underscored that AI's impact extends significantly beyond routine operations, with growing applications in vital areas such as knowledge management, new build programs for nuclear facilities, and decommissioning processes. In these contexts, the complexity of information is increasingly becoming a critical constraint that AI can help manage. Throughout the discussions, a strong emphasis was placed on aligning AI deployment with internationally recognized frameworks, particularly those concerning transparency, accountability, robustness, and human oversight. A clear consensus emerged that AI in the nuclear energy field must remain firmly human-centered, ensuring that engineers retain ultimate judgment and accountability, especially in safety-critical environments. The sector's challenge is now evolving from developing isolated AI tools to fostering the creation of trusted industrial ecosystems that integrate data, engineering expertise, operational workflows, and collaborative partnerships across the entire nuclear value chain.
NEA Coding Competition Highlight
During the workshop, a special mention was made of the winning team from the NEA Coding Competition. This competition had been held in March of the same year, showcasing innovative solutions and talent in applying coding and artificial intelligence principles to challenges within the nuclear domain, further demonstrating the agency's commitment to fostering AI expertise.
Practical Hands-on AI Session
In conjunction with the main workshop, a hands-on AI session was organized, inviting participants to engage in interactive learning experiences. This practical session covered the fundamentals of artificial intelligence, provided opportunities to pilot generative AI tools and solutions, taught methods for predicting failures and detecting anomalies in nuclear systems, and guided participants in creating tools that produce clear, professional visualisations for various data analyses. This complementary session aimed to provide tangible skills and insights into AI applications.
