Vice President, Chief Information Officer & Chief Security Officer, Avista
Search every verified Wayne Manuel interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Wayne Manuel, vice president, chief information officer, and chief security officer at Avista, discussed the utility’s use of artificial intelligence in a September 2025 podcast. He stated that Avista upgraded its IVR phone system to a cloud-based AI platform, which he said improved call resolution from 50% to 63%. Manuel also described AI-enabled cameras at mountain-top locations that detect smoke and fire, and an advanced decision support system that uses AI to optimize generation and maintenance schedules for hydro facilities by considering over 3,700 variables. He noted that Avista formed a generative AI workgroup, initially with restrictions to manage risk, but later shifted to focusing on approved use cases. Manuel reported observing an eight-fold improvement in specific tasks for one security analyst using digital assistants, while other staff saw no improvement. He said a digital code software assistant led to a 60% reduction in time for writing software. Manuel acknowledged that AI hallucinations are a real issue and that accuracy of data will be a differentiator. He predicted that within one to three years, AI will shift technology interactions from keyboards to conversational interfaces.
“I'm accountable for our entire enterprise technology and security strategy and operations and I spend on any given day working across those two ends of the spectrum. Also, my accountability for security includes both cyber and physical security, which is a unique combination but it works.”
“We started a Gen AI workgroup very focused on Gen AI, but it broadened to artificial intelligence more generically. Initially, there was almost a prohibition to manage and mitigate some of the risk associated with generative AI, but we put good policies and controls in place and now focus on use cases.”
“We've observed examples of truly eight-fold improvements with specific tasks associated with just one of our security risk and compliance analysts using digital assistants like co-pilots and chat GPTs, but we've also seen cases where some staff had zero percent improvement.”
“We approved a digital code software assistant that others have observed a 60% improvement in the amount of time and effort it takes to write software. We expect the group to come back in six months to prove some of the value, but it's looking promising so far.”
AI Meets the Grid: Driving Innovation at Avista In this episode, host Dave Whitehead sits down with Wayne Manuel, chief ...
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