Although change can begin with one person, monumental, industry-altering change must be a cohesive, collaborative team effort.
Artificial intelligence was a hot topic at Autodesk University: the Design & Make Conference. However, what is AI? This technology can be interpreted in a few ways. It’s a tool that can be used for analysis, automation, and/or augmentation. In AEC, AI can help us analyze a design project in a more expedited timeframe than it would take with human power alone. Simple tasks can be automated, such as quickly labeling information or counting objects within a file.
In this manner, is AI replacing people? When it comes to execution of some tasks, yes. But do you really want to sit and count all the words in a document? Remember, these tools are designed to assist us in our lives. We are the driving force for how this technology will evolve and the ways it will impact our daily tasks and processes. In an ideal world, AI would assume mundane and repetitive tasks, freeing our time to focus on innovation and advancement and allowing our imaginations to soar.
Are you embracing the new opportunities presented by AI? By accepting change and leaning into being a changemaker, as Steve Blum and Ryan Reynolds discussed on the main stage at AU, we can inspire others to move forward, both in the industry and in our personal lives. By lending a helping hand, guiding others through the new advances, helping them navigate uncertainty, and providing them with the resources they need, we can help propel others forward. Redirecting and easing the fears of the unknown allows the excitement of innovation and new technological advancements to uplift us.
After all, in Autodesk’s 2023 State of Design & Make Report, 23 percent of respondents, when asked what excites them about the future of their industry, “cited innovation and new technology – more than three times as many who mentioned any other development.” While recognizing the hesitancy some may possess around change, this statistic demonstrates the industry’s desire to embrace technology and openness to change. And change is already underway.
The fact that “72 percent of respondents stated the workforce has evolved more in the past three years than it had in the previous 25 years” resonated with me most. Being thrust into a pandemic forced us to embrace the technology available to continue our work, no longer having the capacity to conduct our business in person, around a table, utilizing paper and pencil. Embracing the software and cloud-based solutions was mandatory, allowing us to coordinate projects and design efficiently and effectively.
The State of Design & Make Report also identified the competencies needed for the future, from technology, collaboration, and innovation skills to the capacity and motivation for ongoing learning. These skills will be the factors driving the workforce forward in the future, and new technologies are making it possible for us to embrace and develop in these areas, from utilizing the platforms for advanced collaboration and communication to allowing automation to free us to be innovative. We know that learning propels us forward, creating space for creativity and generating opportunities for innovation and imagination. Adopting AI to standardize our tedious and time-consuming tasks eliminates barriers for us to learn, opening our minds to explore alternative solutions.
To maintain momentum, embrace new technologies, and learn new skills, we must work together. We cannot be selfish and safeguard our knowledge for ourselves. To effectively inspire change, sharing our knowledge should be normal practice, constantly in the pursuit of furthering the industry, hoping that we can all continuously inspire one another to press the boundaries and drive change into the future. We must push the envelope, set expectations of future functions, dream of the possibilities, and discuss how to implement change within the industry.
Although change can begin with one person, monumental, industry-altering change must be a cohesive, collaborative team effort. The question then becomes: are you willing to be a champion of change?
Shelby Smith is CIM manager at Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson. Contact her at slsmith@jmt.com.
