The Future of AI—Now

By Luke Carothers

While the adoption of AI is still growing, the innovation and efficiency afforded by new AI-powered products is causing a significant transformation within the overall AEC industry landscape.  One of the experts at the forefront of this radically transforming landscape is Yves Antioine Brun, Vice President of Wipro Engineering Edge.  Thus far in the AI-transformation, Brun has led the way by guiding his clients to utilize AI for enhanced ideation, design, and testing processes.  Brun has been with Wipro for the last three years, and is now responsible for the company’s Engineering Edge business line in Europe–handling everything related to product development, product engineering, and manufacturing among a few others.  Wipro, a large service provider, plies their services around the globe, working in North America, Europe, and Asia covering IT and cloud services, consulting, and Engineering Edge.

In this time, Brun has developed a unique perspective on how AI has influenced the AEC industry to this point and how it will continue to do so far into the future.  As a part of his experience, Brun believes that the first major benefit to AI-based products beginning to develop is a focus on engineering efficiency.  These products are developed from a perspective of supporting engineering in their day-to-day business.  Brun points to a collection of over 200 use cases that are “dedicated to R&D efficiency.”  As an example, he points to test cases that focus on beginning in the early phases of a project.  AI can be deployed for such tasks as screening development to identify and fill out necessary forms.  Brun also believes that AI-based products have the potential to transform traditional testing activities on projects as well as several other stages in which deployment is still in development.

Indeed, Brun believes that the relationship between engineering and AI will only continue to produce positive results.  While there is still much we need to learn and develop before AI can tackle some of the bigger challenges within the realm of engineering, we certainly have the capacity over the short term to drastically shift the concept of what work looks like in the AEC industry.  More and more already, AI products and solutions are being deployed to eliminate basic tasks such as things that are repetitive.  Less time doing repetitive or basic tasks, according to Brun, means more time to focus on innovation on engineering tasks.  As a result, Brun believes the use of AI to eliminate basic or repetitive tasks will change the way we structure our organizations within the AEC industry—with more of a focus on engineering skills for team members and “more of an R&D structure.”

While the future of bright in the relationship between the AEC industry and AI, it is still the future, and we have to be diligent in the present to achieve its highest use in the future.  Brun believes there needs to be an intense focus on developing use-cases for AI within the field of engineering over the next two to three years.  And, while he points out that there are already a number of tasks that can be successfully supported by AI, the number of AEC firms willing to explore and adopt some of these significant changes.  However, Brun is hopeful that this is something that is already beginning to pick up as firms are looking to improve their efficiency in all aspects of their business.  Another potential concern with the increasing adoption of AI in the future is data security.  

Ultimately, the future of AI and its ability to improve the AEC industry hinges on how we deploy AI products and manage their use.  When thinking about the shape of firms in the near future, those who want to have a solid grasp on how AI products are being deployed will create and hire for positions related to AI.  Brun believes this is a tremendous opportunity to invigorate the AEC industry with new talent as individuals with new skills—things like data quality specialists and AI-focused training specialists—will enter the job market for the first time.  As the landscape of the AEC industry continues to shift and new AI products are deployed for things like enhanced ideation, design, and testing, Brun is confident in a bright future.