Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant promise for the environmental, health, and safety (EHS) industry — it's here, and it's already changing the way organizations manage risk, analyze data, and protect their people. At EHS Insight, we've been thoughtful and deliberate about how we brought our AI-powered EHS software to life. Rather than bolting on a single flashy feature, we've built AI into the foundation of everything we do.
In this fireside chat, Gary McDonald, Founder and CEO of EHS Insight, and Eric Stevens, Founder and CTO, share their journey of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the EHS Insight platform. They begin by addressing their core priority—ensuring that AI enhances functionality without compromising data security and privacy.
The first place users experience AI in EHS Insight is right where the work happens — in the field.
Our field-level AI suggestions are designed to enhance data input accuracy and deliver real-time, context-aware coaching as users move through their workflows. Whether someone is logging an incident, completing an inspection, or submitting a near-miss report, the AI works alongside them to ensure the information captured is comprehensive, consistent, and precise.
This matters more than it might seem at first glance. Poor data quality is one of the biggest barriers to meaningful EHS analysis. When the data going in is better, the insights coming out are better — and that translates directly into safer workplaces.
Collecting data is only valuable if you can make sense of it quickly. Our second AI pillar focuses on analyzing data as it's created, enabling real-time insights and actionable reporting without the lag that typically comes with traditional EHS reporting cycles.
One of the most significant capabilities within this pillar is our SIF precursor detection tool. Serious injuries and fatalities (SIFs) rarely happen without warning — they're typically preceded by a pattern of near-misses, unsafe conditions, and at-risk behaviors that, when viewed in isolation, may seem minor. Our AI analyzes these patterns as they emerge, flagging potential SIF precursors before they escalate into tragedies.
This is exactly the kind of proactive, prevention-focused capability that defines the future of EHS management.
Understanding your EHS data shouldn't require a data science degree. Our third pillar brings advanced business intelligence (BI) tools to every user on the platform — regardless of their technical background.
Through conversational data exploration, users can ask questions of their data in plain language and receive meaningful answers. Trend identification, predictive analysis, and complex data manipulation are all accessible without needing to export spreadsheets or build custom dashboards in external tools like Excel or Power BI.
Our AI chatbot also addresses a notable gap in many large language model (LLM)-based solutions: the ability to handle complex mathematical operations accurately. EHS data often requires precise calculations, and our platform is built to deliver that precision natively.
Many software providers are experimenting with AI in one or two isolated features. EHS Insight's approach is fundamentally different.
Because we offer a comprehensive suite of EHS and ESG modules — all under one roof — our AI has access to a richer, more complete dataset than siloed point solutions can ever provide. That breadth of data makes our AI smarter, more context-aware, and more useful across every part of an organization's safety and sustainability program.
And we're not standing still. Staying ahead in this market means continuously innovating — adapting our AI capabilities as advancements in machine learning and foundation models evolve. Our customers benefit from those improvements automatically, as our layered AI architecture is designed to incorporate new model enhancements without disrupting the user experience.
No two industries have the same EHS challenges, and no two organizations manage safety exactly the same way. That's why EHS Insight allows customers to fine-tune AI suggestions to match their specific industry context, terminology, and risk profile.
This customization transforms AI from a generic tool into a genuinely personalized assistant — one that understands the difference between a construction site hazard and a chemical plant near-miss, and responds accordingly.
As AI becomes more deeply embedded in EHS workflows, questions about data security become more urgent. We take those questions seriously.
EHS Insight's AI tools are built with strict data ring-fencing — meaning the AI only accesses data that a given user is authorized to see. Privacy controls are maintained across divisions, regions, and organizational hierarchies, so sensitive information never crosses boundaries it shouldn't.
Equally important: your data is never used to train third-party AI models. Your organization's EHS data is yours. We're committed to keeping it that way.
One of the things we're most proud of is that EHS Insight's AI isn't just built for large enterprises with dedicated data teams. It's designed to deliver value at every scale.
For smaller organizations, AI helps alleviate the administrative burden that often falls on a single safety professional wearing many hats. For large enterprises drowning in data, AI brings clarity — surfacing the insights that matter most from an otherwise overwhelming volume of information.
Whatever your organization's size or maturity level, you can adopt these AI capabilities at your own pace. There's no pressure to flip a switch overnight. The tools are there when you're ready for them.
When we step back and look at what AI has made possible in EHS, something meaningful comes into focus: technology is finally freeing safety professionals to focus on people.
For decades, EHS teams spent enormous time gathering data, building reports, and wrestling with spreadsheets. AI handles those tasks now — faster, more accurately, and at scale. That frees safety leaders to do what they're actually there to do: build cultures of safety, engage with workers on the front lines, and drive the continuous improvement that protects lives.
That's not just a product update. It's a shift in what's possible for the entire profession.
We're proud to be leading that shift — and we're just getting started.
See the EHS Insight Copilot in action.