Welcome to a cutting-edge episode of ISHN’s All Things Safety Podcast. Host Dave Johnson welcomes Chet Brandon, CSP, is an EHS thought leader and senior director of global EHS, operations for Hexion, Inc., a chemical manufacturer of adhesives, coatings and resins.

Brandon, who has cultivated a significant following and an extensive body of work over 30+ years, recently took a massive leap into the future. This summer, Brandon developed an artificial intelligence digital twin to expand his influence and leadership at Hexion. In effect, he cloned himself. In this podcast we talk with Brandon about how he did it, how other EHS pros can do the same, and what AI digital twins mean to the EHS profession.

The conversation kicks off with Brandon explaining his core motivation: increasing his impact and touchpoints with his team and the employees he is responsible for keeping safe. After studying AI for years, he found a practical opportunity to build his twin in August, leveraging Hexion's culture of innovation and access to advanced AI tools.

Brandon constructed his twin over a weekend by uploading documents that capture how he thinks and communicates, including articles, presentations, and his heuristics (mental shortcuts experts use). He also directed the AI to absorb relevant regulations, like all OSHA General Industry standards.

Motivation for building the twin

The twin was built using the Custom GPTs feature in the paid subscription version of ChatGPT. Brandon emphasizes that anyone can do this: "You've got a blank AI that says, 'hey, what do you want me to learn?' And so then you can begin to upload documents to it and say, okay, this is how I think."

The twin is accessed by EHS professionals and allied specialist groups within Hexion's institutional firewall via any connected smart device. It handles questions in three broad areas: technical safety knowledge (like confined space requirements), company safety procedures, and communication style ("How would Chet respond to this question?"). Brandon stresses that the twin is a proxy, not a replacement, and users are trained to consult him for critical decisions.

The role of the twin in decision-making

"I want those that access it to understand it's not a replacement for me or my judgment. It is a proxy."

The greatest benefit for Brandon has been saving time on "detail work," allowing him to maximize his time for meaningful face-to-face communication, which he considers the most important type of EHS communication.

Finally, addressing the big question of job replacement, Brandon takes the "human in the loop" view, likening the partnership to an airline pilot and automated systems. He believes AI will elevate professionals to a better use of their human talents but warns that the ease of AI might reduce entry-level jobs, making it a critical task to evolve EHS training to ensure emerging professionals still build foundational knowledge.

"I don't see it replacing us. I see it partnering with humans to make the best decision. I call that the human in the loop."