INGENIEUR
Research scientist Technology is never neutral , some technologies are in favour of tyranny … Surveillance and social control are what AI is good at .
AI and machine learning are driven by the data we create every time we interact with our devices .
Missy Yong , Chief Information Officer , Switch It ’ s estimated that 90 % of the world ’ s data was created in just the last 2 years alone .
Increasingly , AI is being embedded into military hardware and strategic planning .
Congressman Seth Moulton , Chair , US Future of Defence Task Force Every weapon system that our troops use will have some component of artificial intelligence integrated into it ; in fact we ’ ve made it a requirement that for every new weapon system they develop artificial intelligence capability .
Former Google software engineer Google should not be involved in the business of war . I kind of felt like I had blood on my hands .
Decisions made now on who will control this technology will have a critical impact on our future world .
Antonio Guterres , UN Secretary General The time that we ’ re living in now is a crossroads for the human race and if we get it right it could be a golden era for humanity … If we get it wrong we could create a dystopian technology , reinforce global dictatorship ; we could even lose control over the world to our own technology .
Behaviours and skills of engineers in AI ( Source : Institution of Civil Engineers )
As this mass emergence of new technology takes place , we shouldn ’ t lose sight of the role of people — the engineers and professionals who work in our core world and increasingly , beyond it . Clearly there ’ s a balance to be struck between the benefits of automated decision-making , standardised design and human expertise .
As our engineering environment evolves it is crucial that humans adapt too . As Darwin said : “ It is not the strongest of the species that survives , nor the most intelligent . It is the one that is the most adaptable to change .”
In an engineering context , this means that our behaviours and skills need to evolve to continue to find new and ingenious solutions to engineering challenges . There ’ s been much debate about future skills while behaviours are perhaps less considered . So what are the skills and behaviours that can facilitate the transformation to digital ? Here are some :
i . Leadership Strong , aligned leadership is crucial for enacting organisational change to facilitate uptake of digital . This may include linking business objectives to the right digital solutions , developing culture change within the organisation and forward planning to secure new skills .
ii . Collaboration Digital allows us to work together in a host of new ways throughout planning , design , construction and operation . It can also enable better integration with supply chains and more efficient procurement processes . An open approach to sharing is important for realising full benefits and developing a collaborative culture within organisations and communities .
iii . Analytics ‘ Big data ’ is upon us but the next trick is turning this into ‘ useful data ’ — interpreting and using data to make decisions that maximise asset performance . Data analysis is becoming a core civil engineering discipline but also a skillset we may need to supplement from outside of our traditional spheres .
iv . Creativity True innovation often comes from deep within the supply chain or organisation . Practitioners should be empowered to commit time and resource to explore new approaches and leaders have a role to play to help us move away from a risk-averse culture .
v . Security Digitally enabled infrastructure can deliver many benefits but also creates new security vulnerabilities . Security-minded behaviour should
76 VOL 89 JANUARY-MARCH 2022