INPEX transforms business processes with Microsoft 365 Copilot and AI agents

Launching a task force to accelerate transformation

INPEX is one of Japan’s leading energy companies, working to ensure a stable supply of oil, natural gas, and low-carbon energy. INPEX Vision 2035 sets out its long-term commitment to achieving both a stable energy supply and sustainability as it expands its business and works toward net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Leveraging digital technologies is one way INPEX is working to realize these goals.

INPEX is actively leveraging AI and other digital technologies across both its core energy engineering operations and office-based activities. To make business processes more sophisticated and efficient, it established the AI task force AIR, which seeks to create a workplace where AI naturally belongs, like the air we breathe. With AI at its core, AIR is working to drive this business transformation.

AIR is led by the AI & Data Solutions Group within the Digital Technology Unit of INPEX’s Technical Headquarters. Shinnosuke Mori, an AI Evangelist and member of the group, explains INPEX’s approach to digital utilization.

“Our digital tools are not simply intended to streamline office work. They form a strategic foundation that enables employees to focus on core tasks requiring creativity and judgment, supports faster decision-making, facilitates the transfer and use of knowledge, and enhances critical thinking and decision-making capabilities across the company.”

Copilot’s impact as a research tool creates demand for access

As a global energy company, INPEX needs to collect and analyze vast amounts of information, prepare materials, and perform translation, all of which require considerable time. To reduce their workload, INPEX has been integrating RPA (Robotic Process Automation) and Microsoft Power Platform for increased automation and productivity.

Use of AI was a natural next step in this process, and INPEX, considering the use of AI in various tasks in a secure internal environment, was an early adopter of Azure OpenAI Service in 2023, just as generative AI began to grow in popularity worldwide.

INPEX considered and compared a variety of AI services with the subsequent release of Microsoft 365 Copilot (hereafter, Copilot). Mori talks about how they initially didn’t feel a particular difference, but how the superiority of Copilot quickly became apparent as they tested it.

“The seamless integration of SharePoint, OneDrive, Office apps, and Teams, with the addition of a reasoning model, resulted in a noticeable improvement in the accuracy and relevance of the responses. What really sold us on Microsoft was the employee survey. Over 90% of the respondents gave positive feedback on the use of Copilot.”

As a result, Copilot became their core AI platform in 2025.

However, they were also running other AI services at the same time, and they did not have a particularly large number of Copilot license requests at the start.  AIR’s efforts to promote Copilot gradually attracted greater attention, leading to an increase in license requests. A key turning point was the introduction of Copilot as a research tool in June 2025, Mori says.

As an energy company, keeping abreast of developments in the energy sector and emerging technologies, as well as conducting market research and analysis, are essential aspects of the business. Until recently, these tasks required significant time and resources. Mori explains how the use of AI-powered research tools transformed these business processes. Under the slogan “Let AIR create reports for you,” the team launched a campaign to promote the use of AI for research tasks such as report preparation and market research. A total of 130 reports were requested and completed promptly, even when deadlines were as tight as the following day.

“We received 130 report requests, divided them among the team, and completed them using AI-powered research tools. Speed was critical, and most reports were completed on the same day. Although information generated by AI is not always fully accurate, many employees were surprised by the speed of completion, as these tasks had previously taken weeks. The tools could also reduce reliance on external consultants.

At the start of 2025, the number of paid licenses increased to 650. At present, the number has since grown to 1,450, and Copilot has become part of the Company’s workplace culture.

Driving AI adoption through Microsoft support and INPEX’s unique engagement approach

To encourage the everyday use of Copilot and raise company-wide awareness, AIR went for a two-pronged initiative of video training content and learning sessions.

“First of all, we wanted to create interest in Copilot and AI within the company,” says Miyu Kanemoto of their branding strategy. She, like Mori, works on AIR and is a member of the AI & Data Solutions Group in the Digital Technology Unit of INPEX Technical Headquarters.

First, they created AIR posters and a mascot to be displayed throughout the company, and put snacks with unique packaging promoting AIR in the cafeteria. The aim was to encourage employees to associate AIR with AI.

They utilized a variety of different strategies, the most successful of which were short videos illustrating how to use generative AI, aimed at improving employee literacy. They have posted over 100 videos on the intranet in the last two years with an average of 500 views per video, some reaching views of 1,000.

“We have 2,000 employees in Japan, so we feel that these view rates are quite high. If we hold longer seminars, we usually have an attendance of 100 to 200 people, and when you consider the time and cost involved, we feel that these videos are particularly effective in reaching our audience.”

As core members of AIR, Mori and Kanemoto shot and edited the videos with their phones and often appeared in their videos, which made them better known within the company, causing many employees to approach them. Mori says of their approach, “To make AI more at one with the workplace, we need people to become comfortable using it on-site, which requires us to approach this as consultants would. In-person interactions and human communication are very important, and so by watching the videos, employees understand AIR’s objectives and get to know our members, creating more opportunities for connection.”

To support this approach, Microsoft Japan provides support for promotion of Copilot, along with use of FastTrack for Microsoft 365 to respond to inquiries.

Kanemoto says, “Employees who had already shown interest in digital transformation became our Digital Ambassadors, and to help them, Microsoft Japan invited them to learning sessions at their headquarters. Talking with professionals really strengthened their interest and gave them new ideas that they could immediately put into practice.”

She adds that, at the study session members’ request, Microsoft Japan held additional learning sessions at the Naoetsu LNG Terminal and Niigata offices, providing specific use cases in both the office and in field operations to a highly positive response.

Mori says, “Connecting the company as a whole and cultivating the use of AI on the operational side has helped us to raise our work standards across the board, especially since use of AI as a rule tends to be a bit biased toward office use. These visits helped both sides gain a deeper understanding of our business and strengthen our working relationship. This has enabled us to not only understand our own business better, but also to improve our working relationship.”

Building a foundation for change with AI agents

“Our goal is to integrate AI organically into business processes, extending its use beyond individual employees. The introduction of Copilot is only the starting point,” Mori says. AIR members are working on the next stage of revolutionizing their business process, with a focus on embedding AI agents into everyday business processes.

Kanemoto says, “Taking contract drafting as an example, transferring accumulated knowledge and data has long been a challenge. Automating parts of the process through AI agents enables us to establish a standardized approach and deliver more consistent quality across the Company.”

Currently, the Company uses different tools depending on the complexity and requirements of each use case. Employees and departments can create relatively simple agents in Copilot agent, while more advanced solutions are developed using Microsoft Copilot Studio.

“The former is relatively easy to use by individuals, and by departments that aren’t overly reliant on digital technology. The latter requires more precise automated settings due to external connectors and triggers, meaning we have to consider cost and access rights, and therefore requires a formal application and approval process.”

With this policy in mind, Mori says their department is continuing to provide learning sessions and information for use as they deal with the ongoing upsurge in demand, with the number of Copilot AI agents rising to over 1,000. “Above all, we want to promote a corporate culture wherein AI agents can be used by both individuals and teams.”

As a result, a wide variety of useful AI agents have been released and used within the company, including the Internal Regulation Agent, which specializes in knowledge of internal regulations, and also the Japanese Regulation Search Agent, which supports employees in checking Japanese legal and regulatory requirements relevant to operations and contracts. These are examples of agents shared and used company-wide.

Their Maternity and Parental Leave Agent allows employees to confirm company policy and review previously asked questions related to these types of employee leave. Kanemoto explains that “being able to easily search for answers to these kinds of sensitive questions reduces psychological stress, and has helped improve the employee experience.”

Additionally, AIR created a Virtual Management Meeting agent in conjunction with the Corporate Strategy and Planning Division. By uploading the meeting materials, new points of view can be discovered, and potential oversights can be found and corrected in advance, with possible questions generated automatically. Agile development allowed members to complete and release this agent within one month.

Mori says of the Virtual Management Meeting agent, “Its value lies in providing new points of view and topics for discussion, rather than only looking for mistakes.” This example demonstrates the significant potential of human-AI collaboration, in which AI not only identifies possible errors but also provides new perspectives and additional information to support decision-making.

Looking beyond the estimated JPY 2 billion in annual value: Using AI to focus on higher-value work

Approximately one year after introducing Copilot, INPEX conducted a user survey on the effectiveness of Copilot and other AI services for office-based tasks. Of the respondents, 44% reported spending less time on tasks, 46% reported spending more time on sophisticated tasks, and 43% reported a greater sense of engagement. INPEX’s estimates that the use of AI within the Company represents more than JPY 2 billion in annual value. However, Mori remains focused on a broader objective.

“The estimated annual value of more than JPY 2 billion is clearly significant, but it is not necessarily linked directly to reductions in time spent on tasks. While operational efficiency has improved, users appear to be more focused on using the time saved to deliver higher-quality work. We want to redirect this time toward our core business, but that requires us, as people, to consider what our core business is and how we can use our time more effectively. AI agents will continue to enhance operational efficiency, but our key concern for the next phase is how we use our time.”

INPEX intends to continue developing AI agents while integrating them into a flexible, coordinated environment that further automates and transforms business processes. They aim to revolutionize operations through optimal use of AI.

Mori discusses their process. “At AIR, we plan to provide further assistance in overcoming challenges in operations. To make effective use of AI, we first need a deeper understanding of our business processes.
Therefore, we need to deepen our understanding of the business process of each department, and collaborate closely with them in order to expand usage. To accomplish this, we initiated our Digital Ambassador Program in 2025. Each department selected a member with interest in digital technology to liaise with our department, and together we have worked on solving various issues. We not only resolved them, but also ended up creating a new communication network,” he says, emphasizing the need for cooperation between business teams, frontline personnel, and IT specialists.

Regarding the next step in the process, Kanemoto adds, “Anyone would feel a bit of anxiety when beginning something new. It’s vital to create an environment where people feel like they can give new ideas a try. Therefore, we aim to continue providing new information to employees and supporting them along the way.”

She continues, “We are looking forward to ongoing support from Microsoft Japan. AI is advancing at an extraordinary pace, which means that sometimes it can be difficult for us to keep pace. We would like Microsoft to continue sharing specific AI use cases and supporting our future initiatives.”

Mori concludes by discussing his outlook on the future of AI. “Our partnership with Microsoft Japan allows us to continue to integrate the latest technology, and to make access to AI in the workplace as natural as breathing. In order for Japan to make progress as a nation, the evolution of AI needs to move beyond corporate boundaries.

“Japan is a nation whose development is based on ingenuity in product use. As the population declines and the geopolitical landscape remains uncertain, AI products will allow us to share innovative ideas, further contributing to Japan’s development. We at INPEX hope to support this growth in cooperation with Microsoft Japan.”

As interest in AI-driven business transformation continues to grow and ways of working and organizational cultures evolve, Microsoft Japan remains committed to supporting customers such as INPEX on their transformation journeys.