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OPINION
Embracing change
Although change can begin with one person, monumental, industry-altering change must be a cohesive, collaborative team effort.
A rtificial 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.
Shelby Smith
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
See SHELBY SMITH, page 8
THE ZWEIG LETTER JULY 15, 2024, ISSUE 1545
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