Professional and Career Topics

 View Only

  • 1.  Is AI a Fad?

    Posted 09-13-2025 12:34 PM

    Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) a fad that will fade or will it become an essential tool for Civil Engineers?

    ASCE's Source notes that "Artificial Intelligence is everywhere." Will that continue or will it disappoint and disappear? How do engineers protect themselves if AI hallucinates?



    ------------------------------
    William McAnally Ph.D., P.E., BC.CE, BC.NE, F.ASCE
    ENGINEER
    Columbus MS
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Is AI a Fad?

    Posted 09-15-2025 10:07 AM

    I know I'm a pessimist on this subject.

    I think a lot of the AI programs being pushed are borderline worthless in the technical professions. LLMs are being shown to weaken critical thinking skills and reduce information retention. As you noted, they also make things up if they can't find the correct answer or the correct answer occurs too few times in its data pool. I also recently read an article that claimed that as more and more website content is AI generated, the results from AI outputs become increasingly incorrect. If I had a coworker who convincingly lied to me sometimes, I would never be going to that coworker to ask questions; the source being a computer doesn't change my outlook.

    If you have to confirm the information to use it responsibly, I would think you're better off just searching it yourself in the first place. 

    My take is that there will likely be some large and damaging legal consequences from unvetted AI usage and it will take a hard hit in the public eye. It is already losing favor with some people for its environmental toll. 

    I know that some AI programs can be trained on very specific data sets to help identify potential problems or trends in very large data sets within the technical fields, but that is not the AI usage that is being pushed on most people. A lot of the "benefits" I see pushed seem to me (perhaps cynically) to be a lack of effort to develop base-level professional skills. Are you really telling me that it is faster for you to prompt AI to write an email or report and then go back and forth with it to make changes to the tone than it is to write the email yourself? And if you think that someone who speaks to you in person or on the phone won't be able to tell that you aren't as well-spoken as your emails, guess again.

    I think a majority of daily AI usage could easily be replaced with a few tips on effective internet searches for reliable sources, using Ctrl+F within a resource, and basic training in professional writing. (Most students should have already been given the opportunity to develop these skills by the time they graduate high school if they are paying attention.)



    ------------------------------
    Heidi C. Wallace, P.E., M.ASCE
    Tulsa, OK
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Is AI a Fad?

    Posted 09-16-2025 07:43 PM

    Bill Mc – this thread is timely and the frustrations of Heidi and others are real. But, individual experiences may vary.

    Yet, AI is a very powerful tool – and definitely not a fad.

    As in: Artificial Intelligence – the Tool of No Limit – AI, being a System of Adaptive Algorithms & Routines, is data and model driven – and how they are used to train the machines to learn – to let them generate intelligent answers to human queries and needs.

    No doubt – the quality, quantity and neutrality of data and model used to train the machine come into focus – for that matter of generating answers. But for obvious reasons, industries would not divulge such information.

    As industries driven by this technology are young – there is bound to be certain confusions and lapses – from lousy actors to good ones – from poorly refined to dependable AIPPS. Despite challenges, all these endeavors are being driven to create a niche – eyeing the huge potentials ahead. And some are ahead of others on this.

    As discussed in other threads before – and with the lack of local to global framework of AI Governance to filter out bad from the good – it is not unlikely that efforts to eliminate lapses are getting little or no attention.

    In the 2025 NAP #27644 Artificial Intelligence and Future of Work – the authors have listed a summary of 11 key findings.

    In Finding 2 of this document, referring to LLMs the authors said: AI systems today remain imperfect in multiple ways. For example, LLMs can "hallucinate" incorrect answers to questions, exhibit biased behavior, and fail to reason correctly to reach conclusions from given facts.

    --------------------

    Dr. Dilip K Barua, Ph.D

    Website Links and Profile



    -------------------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Is AI a Fad?

    Posted 09-18-2025 06:59 PM

    I believe the answer is a definite yes - AI will become an essential tool for civil engineers. Even now, despite concerns about accuracy and the occasional "hallucination," AI already provides meaningful support in data processing, design optimization, and project management.

    Of course, the technology still requires careful human oversight, but I see that as natural in the early stages of adoption. Over time, algorithms and use cases will be refined, standards will emerge, and AI outputs will become more reliable.

    In my view, AI is not a passing fad but rather a major breakthrough and one of the most transformative inventions of our era. With proper integration and professional responsibility, it can significantly enhance the way we design, build, and maintain infrastructure.

     Darya Stanskova



    ------------------------------
    Darya Stanskova M.ASCE
    Cost Estimator, Construction Engineer, Power Engineer, Project Manager
    Fort Myers FL
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


Related Content