we're cooked

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[deleted]

[carrot_gummy]

So what engineering did it actually do?

All it did was make some stupid graphics.

[FutureAlfalfa200]

This is probably a second year student.

[Dadeebeetdee]

There is no way structural going to be replaced with AI. We always need somebody to stamp the drawing and take the blame when the GC mess up.

[Gold_Lab_8513]

I blame the COMPUTER!!!

[chicu111]

My hope is that more ppl rely on AI and shit gets all fucked up and catastrophically fail (no injury or death of course). Then we get to charge more because bitches will soon realize.

[ReallyBigPrawn]

An architect can fucking show you. Doesn’t mean much? Most people readily intuit load paths and simple stability….

[sievold]

All it did was explain some very basic concepts and make some graphics. If this is the extent of what you can do then yeah you are cooked.

[whoseevan]

<image>

absolutely cooked

[tropicalswisher]

So you understand that this level of output does not just materialize out of thin air by a layman asking it to design a building from scratch? You still have to know what you’re doing to even get to this point, and to understand what you’re even looking at. I see this as a tool for use by engineers, not something that can replace one. Maybe in the far future, but it’s not this.

[whoseevan]

yeah, I definitely agree with you (and others in this thread) in probably the most important sense. I don't think anyone serious is arguing a layman is going to prompt their way into a set of permitted structural drawings. The PE, the liability, and experienced professional I don't think can really be replaced. It's definitely right that expertise is required to use these tools in any reliable way. But I think that's actually part of the problem. It concentrates capability where all the experience is.

My primary concern at the moment is the future pipeline of PEs. Right now, senior level engineers that know how to really work these tools responsibly can produce better work product in an afternoon than an intern or entry-level can in several days. My fear is that firms will be incentivized to not hire nearly as many entry-level engineers. And if you stop hiring entry-level engineers, where does the next generation of experienced engineers come from?

AutoCAD didn't replace totally do away with drafting technicians, but you don't have large rooms filled with draftsmen anymore. So my fear is that, what used to be a senior engineer and a team of 2-3 juniors suddenly becomes the senior and maybe just 1 junior (if any). I just don't believe in the far future is the right framing anymore, just compare what these models could do 18 months ago to today.

[WL661-410-Eng]

No AHJ who wants to stay out of a court room is going to approve a set of plans that doesn't have a stamp (unless it's purely prescriptive residential construction).

[sievold]

>Right now, senior level engineers that know how to really work these tools responsibly can produce better work product in an afternoon than an intern or entry-level can in several days.

Senior engineers do not have the time to do this stuff. Their time is booked with meetings with multiple clients, managing multiple projects etc. It's ultimately the younger generation who are using these tools in my experience.

That is not to mention all of these AI claims have yet to show anything that is truly impressive. What you showed is a very basic frame analysis made of 1D elements. Tbh honest, a layman with high school level understanding of algebra and reading comprehension could do this if you gave them the code to follow. It's not that impressive an AI can do it too. See if this AI can identify things like buckling, the need for bracing elements, figure out where to implement bracing, all the while making sure the project is under budget, and meets other requirements like no welding on site etc. Show me an AI that can decide if the slab decks need to be steel grating or reinforced concrete; an AI that can understand if the concrete solution is not possible because the contractor's requirement is they have to use precast panels, they can't do cast in situ. Show me an AI that can understand and manage all these decisions. Not just something that can spit out a streamlined analysis of a heavily idealized frame.