Blog 1 - AI versus jobs

AI is a growing industry that the world is still playing with to figure out the best means and methods to develop and then utilize.  Social media and the news commonly bring up AI robots being used in the medical field as a nurse, hotels to bring room service, or single family homes to clean up while the owners are at work.  Some of these uses are more developed than others, as they are simpler tasks, however that does not mean that AI researchers are not looking at more complex uses.  The article posted to Evernote by Dr. Mitchell reviews the various conferences that were held in 2018 to discuss the various uses and ongoing research exploring AI, which can be found in reference [1] below. 

3-D Printing robots are currently being used in the construction industry utilizing AI technology to make manufacturing processes easier, faster, and cheaper.  Some manufacturers of glass curtain walls for buildings are using robotic arms to spray sealant into the joints of the glass and frame.  One of the methods that this is done, is the robot will take a BIM file of the glass and frame so it knows what it is looking at, and will then scan the entire pane and frame to confirm that the BIM drawing is correct.  Then, it will begin installing the sealant into the joint that was just scanned before moving onto the next unit.  This process is extremely helpful for larger panes of glass, as it does not require a person to move around the pane to reach all of the joints, and there is no chance of the sealant being accidentally disturbed once installed.  The margin of error is lower, and the quality of the work product is higher [2].  Even though the workers who did this type of work will lose their jobs, new, higher level jobs will be created for maintaining the robotic arm, AI software, and developing the BIM drawings to input into the AI software.  It is true that some jobs get lost when robots are brought into an industry, but often time tech jobs are created at the same time.

                Looking towards the future, in the next 20-30 years, I predict that a large number of labor jobs in the construction and manufacturing industries will be replaced with robots, especially as new technologies are developed, instigating new companies to be created.  Following my earlier point, these lost jobs will be replaced to some degree with high leveled tech jobs like software engineers or CAD drafters to assist the AI software and robots with their tasks.  Quality assurance managers may also be needed in higher demand as robots take over the labor focused work force, as no manufacturer wants 1,000 units of a product to be made wrong, when the alternative is to have 1 staff member double check the AI software’s work.

Works Cited:

[1] 1842796659272142. “2018 Year-in-Review: AI & Machine Learning Conferences.” Heartbeat, Heartbeat, 20 Dec. 2018, heartbeat.fritz.ai/2018-year-in-review-ai-machine-learning-conferences-3fb41fbc902e.

[2] B1M, The. “The Construction Robots Are Coming | The B1M.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 May 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKGGHdl3NyQ.

Response 1

Gabriel Grajewski

It is interesting that you discussed building surveys so much in your research.  I have also done surveys of buildings, and I found that after 2-3 hours, it becomes extremely laborious and starts to become sloppy.  If a computer were to take over that task, the quality could be consistent throughout the entire inspection, and like you said, they may be able to reach areas and views that humans cannot.  Drones are also becoming a big piece of building inspections, occasionally equipped with cameras for video or IR readings.  I believe many new developments will happen in the coming 5 years that outdate what is being done even today.

Response 2

Richard Kimball

The industry of cybersecurity is growing, and has been for years.  I like the articles you chose and the points you made, as it draws attention to this, and the fact that even with this growing industry and advancing the technology that goes into cybersecurity, it is still vulnerable to attacks and data breaches.  Similarly to your point with the self-driving cars, knowing how a system works from the inside can often times make it easy to infiltrate and steal from, whether that system manifests itself physically in a car hooked up to numerous sensors, or a digital system protected by code.  Both have vulnerabilities, but both can be protected, given the proper set-up work, as per Shannon’s suggestion in your third paragraph.

Response 3

Julie Hansted Andersen

Julie, I agree with the quotes you referenced stating that AI will become integrated with a person’s everyday life in the coming 20-25 years, or even sooner than that.  AI is being integrated into industries never thought possible today, and construction and architecture are just the next step for them.  The college program to get working adults into the world of tech sounds like a great opportunity that other universities may have to implement, or a similar system, in the coming 15-20 years to prepare for the influx of adults looking to join the tech industry.  Supply and demand also works in academia, and if public and private universities alike do not recognize that, I believe there may be a crisis once this technology tries to integrate above a certain level.