CONTENT

CONTENT SPECIALISTS/EDITORIAL
AMARA ROZGUS, Editor-in-Chief
NEWS&BUSINESS
VIEWPOINT
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ANNA STEINGRUBER, Associate Editor

Proceed with caution:

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AMANDA PELLICCIONE, Marketing Research Manager

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MICHAEL SMITH, Art Director

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Engineers are using AI more
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD MEP/FP engineers can benefit from artificial
DARREN BRUCE, PE, LEED AP BD+C,
Director of Strategic Planning, Mid-Atlantic Region, intelligence when used with caution

W
NV5, Arlington, Va.
MICHAEL CHOW, PE, CEM, CXA, LEED AP BD+C,
Principal, Metro CD Engineering LLC, Columbus, Ohio
hile at the 2024 NFPA Fire protection engineering, a
TOM DIVINE, PE, Conference & Expo, arti- primary topic of the conference, is
Senior Electrical Engineer, Johnston, LLC, Houston
ficial intelligence (AI) was another field where AI is making a
CORY DUGGIN, PE, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP,
Energy Modeling Wizard, TLC Engineering Solutions, Brentwood, Tenn. the keynote speaker’s topic of conver- significant impact. AI-powered fire
ROBERT J. GARRA JR., PE, CDT, sation. David Pogue, a multimedia simulation tools enable engineers to
Vice President, Electrical Engineer,
CannonDesign, Grand Island, N.Y. presenter about science and technol- model and analyze fire scenarios with
JASON GERKE, PE, LEED AP BD+C, CXA,
Mechanical Engineer, GRAEF, Milwaukee
ogy, touched on the many ways that unprecedented detail and accuracy.
JOSHUA D. GREENE, PE,
AI will change our lives. Some of his The challenge, of course, is that
Associate Principal, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger,
Waltham, Mass.
suggestions were terrific and not all of the details are
RAYMOND GRILL, PE, FSFPE, LEED AP, will revolutionize building accessible by AI systems,
Principal, Ray Grill Consulting, PLLC, Clifton, Va.
engineering. Other idea were meaning it won’t necessar-
DANNA JENSEN, PE, LEED AP BD+C,
Principal, Certus, Carrollton, Texas startling and several audi- ily have the latest codes or
WILLIAM KOFFEL, PE, FSFPE,
President, Koffel Associates Inc., Columbia, Md.
ence members around me standards. And while AI can
WILLIAM KOSIK, PE, CEM, LEGACY LEED AP BD+C,
gasped or harumphed. analyze and interpret vast
Lead Senior Mechanical Engineer,
kW Mission Critical Engineering, Milwaukee
AI is revolutionizing engi- amounts of information,
KENNETH KUTSMEDA, PE, LEED AP, neering, offering unprec- Amara Rozgus,
it cannot predict what the
Engineering Manager, Jacobs, Philadelphia
edented opportunities for Editor-in-Chief authority having jurisdiction
DAVID LOWREY,
Chief Fire Marshal, Boulder (Colo.) Fire Rescue mechanical, electrical, will say about occupancy
JASON MAJERUS, PE, CEM, LEED AP, plumbing and fire protection (MEP/ classifications, or about why a par-
Principal, DLR Group, Cleveland
JUSTIN MILNE, PE, PMP,
FP) engineers. The integration of AI ticular product just won’t work in this
Senior Engineer, Southcentral Region, Jensen Hughes, Allen, Texas into engineering processes is not just application.
GREGORY QUINN, PE, NCEES, LEED AP,
Principal, Health Care Market Leader, a trend but a shift that enhances effi- The integration of AI into engi-
Affiliated Engineers Inc., Madison, Wis.
ciency, accuracy and innovation. neering is not without other chal-
BRIAN A. RENER, PE, LEED AP,
Principal, Electrical Discipline Leader, SmithGroup, Chicago Like so many others, Pogue lenges. Engineers must adapt to new
CRAIG ROBERTS, CEM, emphasized that AI was not going tools and technologies. It is crucial
Account Executive, National Technical Services, McKinstry, Powell, Tenn.
SUNONDO ROY, PE, LEED AP,
to take away anyone’s job. Instead, it for engineers to work closely with AI
Director, Design Group, Romeoville, Ill. would enhance many things. specialists, manufacturers and data
JONATHAN SAJDAK, PE,
Senior Associate/Fire Protection Engineer, Page, Houston
Mechanical and plumbing engi- scientists to address these challenges
RANDY SCHRECENGOST, PE, CEM, neers are leveraging AI to optimize and ensure the responsible use of AI.
Austin Operations Group Manager/Senior Mechanical Engineer,
Stanley Consultants, Austin, Texas design and — looking ahead to the The benefits of AI for engineers
MATT SHORT, PE, building process — the construction across these disciplines are many. AI
Project Manager/Mechanical Engineer,
Smith Seckman Reid, Houston phase. Through advanced simula- enhances decision-making by provid-
MARIO VECCHIARELLO, PE, CEM, GBE, tions and fluid dynamics, AI can ana- ing data-driven insights, reducing the
Senior Vice President, CDM Smith Inc., Boston
RICHARD VEDVIK, PE,
lyze vast datasets to find patterns and reliance on intuition and guesswork.
Senior Electrical Engineer and Acoustics Engineer,
IMEG Corp., Rock Island, Ill.
predict outcomes with precision. It enables more accurate and effi-
TOBY WHITE, PE, LEED AP, In the realm of electrical engineer- cient designs, minimizing errors and
Associate, Boston Fire & Life Safety Leader, Arup, Boston
ing, AI is playing a role in the design rework. By automating routine tasks,
APRIL WOODS, PE, LEED AP BD+C,
Vice President, WSP USA, Orlando, Fla. and optimization of electrical sys- AI frees up engineers to focus on
JOHN YOON, PE, LEED AP ID+C, tems. AI algorithms can analyze elec- more complex and creative aspects of
Lead Electrical Engineer, McGuire Engineers Inc., Chicago
trical networks to identify the best their work, fostering innovation. cse
configurations that enhance efficien-
cy and reliability.

consulting-Specifying engineer — www.csemag.com July/August 2024

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