b'TECHNOLOGY & RESEARCH CSIA 29W hilethetechsectormaybetheto AI, or what many researchers are studying as mostprolificsourceofindustry- ameanstoexplorepossiblejobdisplacement, specificterminology,contractorsand how do we leverage the technology to remain aregraduallyevolvingintotechcompetitive?companies in their own rights. Software, technology andassociatedsalariescangenerallybetheDemystifying AIsecond-highestcostonanaveragecontractors income statement, according to an FMI analysis ofArtificial intelligence refers to computer systems that clients financial statements. can simulate certain aspects of human intelligence to execute tasks such as problem-solving, decision By increasingly adopting software and technologymaking and learning. However, its important to note toincorporatedata-drivendecisionmaking,that current AI models are limited in their abilities theyintroducetechnicaltermslikevirtualdesignand can only perform specific tasks they have been andconstruction(VDC),buildinginformationtrained to do. In other words, they lack the flexibility modeling(BIM),cloudcomputingandapplicationand adaptability of human intelligence. Put simply, programming interface (API). AI is designed to perform one task at a time and cannot easily switch between tasks or perform new One term that has transitioned from industry-specificones.jargon to everyday conversation, primarily due to the disruptive impact of OpenAIs ChatGPT, is artificialMany researchers and academics broadly separate intelligence (AI). Distinguishing between the hypeAI into three categoriesArtificial Superintelligence and reality of AIs capabilities can be difficult, given(ASI),ArtificialGeneralIntelligence(AGI)and itsprominenceintodaysconversations.ItstimeArtificialNarrowIntelligence(ANI).ASIiswhere tocutthroughthenoiseanddiscusshowAIismachines become self-aware and surpass human truly changing the construction industrywithoutintellect. This form of AI is merely hypothetical. AGI, invoking images of autonomous humanoid robotsor strong AI, is the concept of a machine with general capable of climbing a ladder to terminate wire orintelligence that simulates human intelligence and anything else. behaviors, with the ability to learn and solve any problemthewaywedo.ThistooremainsintheCENTRAL STATES INSULATION ASSOCIATIONTheresanever-growingcommunicationgaprealm of science fiction, with a leading MIT roboticist betweenAIsmostvocaladvocatesandaveragepredicting that AGI wont arrive until the year 2300.businessownersorexecutives.Somemaybe overlyoptimistic,believingthatAIcansolveallArtificialNarrowIntelligence(ANI),orweakAI, the construction industrys problems, while othersisdesignedtocompleteasingletaskwithout might avoid the technology altogether due to fearshuman assistance. It is trained to do one thing and of job displacement or a lack of understanding itsautomaticallyapplytheknowledgegainedfrom applications. performing that task to the next. Its function is narrow in scope. Some currently utilized ANI models are in What is often missing from the conversation aboutsmartspeakers,self-drivingcars,websearches, AI is a practical understanding of its capabilities,AI farming and manufacturing. ANI is widely used along with a perspective that is neither too optimisticin industry today and has the potential to reshape nor too pessimistic, but rather realistic. Developingconstruction operations in the future.arealisticviewisessentialformanycontractors astheydeterminetheirdefensiveandoffensiveExample: Futuristic Farmingstrategies. How do we protect ourselves from the implicationsassociatedwithourworksexposureOnesuccessstoryinAIinvolvesanagriculture continuedon pg. 30csiaonline.org'