By ALEXIS SEELEY
Industry executive leaders gathered on July 23rd for an exclusive roundtable discussion focused on the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, in the Construction Association of Michigan-sponsored event. Moderated by Matthew Gurwin from Graystone Consulting, a business of Morgan Stanley, the roundtable provided a platform for Erica Ishida and Michael Rojas, founding members of AI23, to share their experiences, challenges, and visions for the future of AI technologies. The experts at AI23 aim to democratize AI and manifest individual and collective potential.
In the spirit of this AI-focused conversation, CAM turned to GenAI programs Otter.ai and ChatGPT to summarize the roundtable discussion. A variety of prompts helped hone the Gen-AI responses. I attached the Otter.ai transcription into ChatGPT and started with the general prompt of “What are the key points from the transcription?” I followed up with more specific prompts, such as “Why is human and AI collaboration important?” and “Based on the document, how can AI be used in the construction industry?”
Understanding the Difference Between Traditional and Generative AI
AI has evolved rapidly, leading to traditional AI and generative AI as distinct paradigms. Traditional AI relies on predefined rules and structured data to make decisions, excelling in predictive analytics, classification, and decision-making. In contrast, generative AI uses deep learning and neural networks to create original content, such as text, images, and audio, mimicking human creativity.
The advancements in generative AI have led to remarkable achievements, highlighting its capabilities beyond mere content creation. "Gen AI today can pass the LSAT, can pass the law exam. It can pass most medical exams in the high 90th percentile," Rojas said.
During the meeting, the following levels of AI intelligence were delineated. Level 0, referred to as traditional AI, encompasses systems focused primarily on predictive analytics and automation, lacking advanced reasoning capabilities. Level 1 represents Emerging AGI, which exhibits capabilities surpassing those of an unskilled human but remain constrained in their functionality.
Level 2, denoted as Competent AGI, aligns with the 50th percentile of human intelligence, reflecting an average human's proficiency across various domains. Level 3 pertains to Expert AGI, characterized by its ability to excel in specific, well-defined tasks, thereby outperforming humans in those areas.
Level 4 is identified as Superhuman Narrow AI, where the system outperforms all humans in a specialized domain, exemplified by AI's 90% accuracy in gender determination from retina scans. Finally, Level 5 represents the pinnacle of AGI, where the system surpasses human performance across a broad spectrum of tasks and domains.
The Power of Partnership: Why Human and AI Collaboration Matters
The collaboration between humans and AI is essential for unlocking the full potential of this transformative technology. Humans possess deep domain expertise and contextual understanding that current AI systems lack, and by integrating this valuable human input into the AI training process, the technology can become more effective at solving real-world problems. This collaborative approach also ensures that AI development aligns with human ethics and societal values, mitigating potential negative impacts and fostering trust and acceptance among employees and customers.
Moreover, the human-AI partnership enables a continuous feedback loop, where humans provide AI systems with the necessary data and guidance to continuously improve performance. This collaborative evolution allows AI to become more capable over time, enhancing its abilities to augment and empower human workers.
Discussed at the roundtable was that ultimately, the future of work will likely involve a symbiotic relationship between humans and AI, where each leverages the other's strengths to achieve greater productivity, efficiency, and innovation. Embracing this collaborative mindset is essential for organizations to unlock the full benefits of AI and position themselves for success in the digital age.
"The future we see is that you integrate AI into high-performing teams, and you're giving them all Ironman suits and they can do things way (more than) what they're doing today,” Rojas explained.
The future of AI is one of symbiotic human-machine collaboration. Rather than pursuing the replacement of human workers, the focus will be on integrating AI systems into high-performing teams, where they serve as "Ironman suits" that augment and empower human capabilities. The key will be leveraging narrow AI expertise to automate specific tasks and enhance productivity, rather than striving for general artificial intelligence that can outperform humans across the board.
Ethical and responsible AI development will be crucial, with humans playing a critical role in shaping the values, behaviors, and decision-making processes of AI systems. This will involve a close partnership between humans and machines, where employees provide valuable feedback and domain expertise to continuously improve the AI's performance.
Generative AI Can Transform Efficiency
Generative AI can revolutionize the construction industry by automating tasks like bid evaluation, cost estimation, and project scheduling, allowing workers to focus on higher-value activities. It enhances project management, safety, quality control, and communication by providing insights and real-time analysis. By leveraging GenAI, the construction industry can achieve more efficient and successful project delivery.
The AI roundtable emphasized generative AI's transformative potential and the importance of human-AI collaboration. Integrating AI into business workflows and involving employees in AI development can enhance productivity and innovation. Ethical AI development and human values must guide this progress, despite challenges from large tech firms. Embracing AI and a collaborative mindset will unlock its full potential.
The next CAM Roundtable Series event, addressing Transition Planning, takes place on Thursday, September 12th. For more information, email sawinski@buildwithcam.com.