Does AI mean the end of standards? That was the question debated during a session at the recent Digital Construction Week. That event is like a nightmare version of your ideal festival line-up with all your favourite bands on different stages at the same time. Thus, while u003cemu003eBIMplusu003c/emu003e was at another presentation, a correspondent filed this report of the debate.
Among the myriad PowerPoint-powered presentations, one session stood out. Convened by Henry Fenby-Taylor, a spirited debate took place between Catalyst CTO Vicki Reynolds (For) and BSI sector lead Dan Rossiter (Against) as to whether AI will ‘kill’ standards. In an almost pantomime-esque fashion, the pair highlighted, with great enthusiasm, many of the key concerns around the use of AI through the medium of debate. These concerns included:
- the relationship between rigour and speed;
- the quality of training data and the reliability of the output;
- the sector’s appetite for rapidly changing good practice;
- the need for more novel approaches to meet productivity, safety, and sustainability requirements; and
- the importance of trust and accountability.
At the beginning of the session, when asked to vote ‘For’ or ‘Against’ the debate statement via a raised hand, the majority of the audience sided with Rossiter (Against); Reynolds (For) secured only a single vote. But following audience input as well as a set of strong closing statements, the outcome of the second vote was almost equal.
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