Underground Infrastructure - October 2023 - 6

EDITOR'SLOG
Robert Carpenter | Editor-in-Chief
Who's Behind Those Pearls of Wisdom
(or That Poison Pen)?
In the modern world, there is a mad rush
to expand and embrace all things digital. I
would venture to say no industry has been
impacted as directly as has media. Gone are
the days of print newspapers and magazines
dominating media. And while print isn't
gone, it has largely been relegated to second-class
status in lieu of smart phones, tablets, laptops, et. al.
Print media was already experimenting aggressively with
digital publishing formats, e-newsletters and complex websites
prior to 2020. But as the COVID era emerged, its impacts created
a shut-in society and by necessity, the remote workplace
environment accelerated at warp speed.
At Underground Instructure, we initially became a hybrid
publication in 2021. Half of our subscribers are public/private
utility managers and consulting engineers. They didn't mind
getting the magazine in a digital format, as their worlds, which
revolved much more around an office environment, had already
been shifting that direction. We continued to send a print version
to contractors.
Yet as the quantum digital shift in media continues, contractors
too have reached the tipping point and now turn quickly
to phones, tablets and laptops for their information, whether in
the field, home or office. All segments of our readers are readily
embracing our comprehensive digital media, including the
78-year old magazine Underground Infrastructure, starting with
our December 2023 issue.
What made this change to an all-digital format practical is a
new way to present digital publications. Rather than the cumbersome
and hard-to-read versions typically utilized, our new
PageRaft technology provides an amazing jump in ease of reading
and efficiency of displaying a multitude of articles. PageRaft is
a game changer for digital publications, and we're excited about
the opportunities it presents for Underground Infrastructure.
Another digital technology that has exploded since COVID
and is evolving faster than we can comprehend is artificial intelligence
(AI). It is beginning to permeate workplace functions
even in the construction and engineering fields. It's both impressive
and absolutely frightening.
In the underground infrastructure world, AI is quickly establishing
itself. We've all read and heard about AI reviewing
and evaluating pipe inspection data. But there is much more
activity, as well. In our quarterly business column, Utility &
Communications Construction Update, Dan Shumate of FMI provides
some insightful observations as to how AI already is being
applied to our industry.
Shumate stresses that AI " may have a lasting impact on the
6 OCTOBER 2023 | UndergroundInfrastructure.com
back-office, estimating and documentation that is a necessity to
win work and ensure timely payment. "
He explains that " software applying machine learning, a
form of artificial intelligence, can rapidly analyze blueprints and
automatically quantify the areas, environment, objects and materials
for a project. This process has the potential to save construction
companies hours of time and helps them to submit
more accurate bids. "
Shumate also envisions the probability that " as more of the
underground is effectively documented, generative AI may also
be able to significantly improve the safety and productivity of
the job site through improved locating capabilities and a more
thorough understanding of the history of a location. "
For my specific niche, producing high-quality, informative
and beneficial editorial content has always been the goal of
Underground Infrastructure. We strive to live up to our reputation
as the high-quality publication in our field. But the era of
true journalists in modern media is in danger.
AI programs like ChatGPT and Google's Bard are spreading
like a virus. Designed to develop articles created from all kinds
of information harvested from the internet, stories are written
to imitate a " human " format. Lawsuits are in place, as content
generated by AI programs sometimes originates from various
copyrighted websites and digital products of actual news media.
A description of Google Bard AI describes it as " a neural network-based
model that excels in understanding and generating
human-like text. It can be thought of as a digital bard, capable
of crafting prose, poetry and engaging conversations with the
finesse of a seasoned wordsmith. "
Does this mark the end of the human touch in communications,
not just for news stories, but more importantly, for all
the amazing literature produced over the centuries? How long
before AI begins generating " masterpiece " paintings, music,
plays? Do we really want to be so totally engaged and captured
by AI fine arts? Or maybe this is just the way AI convinces you
that it's writing for me?
Ever see " Westworld, " the original movie from 1973? It's
about realistic theme parks populated by human-looking and
-acting, artificially created characters. People flocked to these
locations like a future Disney World to escape and live out their
fantasies. Or so it was, until a virus-like glitch spread to the robots
and changed everything.
What can go wrong with AI taking over critical aspects of
our personal lives? To paraphrase an old trailer from the original
Westworld movie, " ... where nothing can go wrong ... go
wrong ... go wrong ... go wrong ... " UI
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Underground Infrastructure - October 2023

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