Innovation-July-August-2023

Advocacy Body Initiated | AGM and Annual Conference | New Directors

INNOVATION ENGINEERS AND GEOSCIENTISTS BRITISH COLUMBIA JULY/AUGUST 2023

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JULY/AUGUST 2023 | volume 27 number 4 INNOVAT ION

COVER STORY THE RISE OF AI Artificial Intelligence is everywhere. There are definite advantages for engineers and geoscientists, but they must be weighed with the possible risks. G raphic : G enerated by AI

REGULATORY NEWS

5 NEW ADVOCACY BODY 7 2023 BOARD CANDIDATES 8 REGISTER FOR AGM 8 BOARD REPORT 9 COMPLIANCE HIGH FOR ANNUAL REPORTING 23 COMPETENCY-BASED ASSESSMENT MIRRORED IN ONTARIO 24 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE 34 DISCIPLINE AND ENFORCEMENT 38 CONTINUING EDUCATION

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ANNUAL CONFERENCE PUL L-OUT SECT I ON

UNCOMMON CONSTRUCTION A group of UBC students discovered the challenges and solutions to constructing a building, Third Space Commons, with a near zero carbon focus. P hoto : W endy D P hotography

COMMENT

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ANNUAL CONFERENCE SPECIAL FEATURE Find out everything you need to know about the 2023 Annual Conference, October 26-28.

33 TWO NEW DIRECTORS ANNOUNCED 37 IN MEMORIAM 37 DISPLAY ADVERTISERS' INDEX

2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

ON THE COVER AI takes many forms, including creating digital art. The cover photo and most of the photos in the article were created by AI.

OCTOBER 26-28, 2023 | WHISTLER, BC

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Engineers and Geoscientists BC is proud to present the 2023 Engineers and Geoscientists BC Annual Conference on October 26–28, 2023 at the Whistler Conference Centre. Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s 2022–2027 Strategic Plan establishes a new vision for the organization: modern regulation for a resilient world. It also establishes a new mission, which brings clarity of purpose to our primary mandate. Our new vision and mission will be the foundation of this year’s annual conference, as we strive to shape our future as an inclusive, progressive, and future-focused regulator. The annual conference will feature relevant Continuing Education (CE) sessions, inspirational keynote speakers, valuable networking opportunities, an exhibitor tradeshow, and a prestigious awards gala.

THIS DIGITAL EDITION OF INNOVATION INCLUDES VIDEO EXTRAS. LOOK FOR THIS PLAY ICON, AND CLICK ON IT TO VIEW VIDEO AND OTHER MULTIMEDIA CONTENT. AN INTERNET CONNECTION IS REQUIRED.

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INNOVAT ION JULY/AUGUST 2023 | volume 27 number 4 ENGINEERS AND GEOSCIENTISTS BRITISH COLUMBIA Suite 200 - 4010 Regent Street, Burnaby, BC Canada V5C 6N2 Tel: 604.430.8035 | Toll free: 1.888.430.8035

V I E W P O I N T

A NEW DOOR OPENS Engineers and Geoscientists BC is undergoing a significant change as part of our evolution as a regulator. On June 27, we announced our organization will be supporting the creation of an independent advocacy body for professional engineers and geoscientists in BC. This body is intended to support engineers and geoscientists in ways that are no longer in our regulatory mandate under

Email: info@egbc.ca | Web: egbc.ca

BOARD 2022/2023 Chair Mark Adams, P.Eng. Vice Chair Michelle Mahovlich, P.Eng., P.Geo. Immediate Past Chair Carol Park, P.Eng.

BOARD MEMBERS Suky Cheema, CPA, CA; Leslie Hildebrandt, ICD.D, LLB; Emily Lewis, CPA, CMA; Karen Ling, P.Eng.; Mahsoo Naderi-Dasoar, P.Eng.; Mark Porter, P.Eng., Struct.Eng.; Jessica Steeves, P.Eng.; Jens Weber, P.Eng.; David Wells, JD EXECUTIVE TEAM Heidi Yang, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.), Chief Executive Officer Liza Aboud, MBA, ABC, ICD.D, Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Cho, CPA, CGA, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer David Pavan, R.PH., Chief Regulatory Officer and Registrar EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP Dr. Iqbal Bhuiyan, P.Eng.; Ryan Bird, P.Eng.; Allen Heinrichs, P.Eng.; Mahsa Mohajerani, P.Eng.; Raya Smertina, P.Eng.; Aman Tanvir, P.Eng.; Stefano Vitucci, P.Eng. Innovation is published bi-monthly, six times a year by Engineers and Geoscientists BC. As the official publication of the organization, Innovation is circulated to all registrants of Engineers and Geoscientists BC as well as architects, contractors and industry executives. The views expressed in any article do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Board or Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Sales Representative: Wing-Yee Kwong Tel: 604.681.1811 Email: advertising@egbc.ca For information see: www.egbc.ca/About/Publications/Innovation/How-to-Advertise SUBMISSIONS Innovation does not accept unsolicited articles or photos, but we do welcome article proposals and ideas. Proposals should be of interest and relevant to our readers and recognise the regulatory role of Engineers and Geoscientists BC in ensuring public safety and environmental protection. They should not be a "sales pitch" for a company or organization. Send suggestions to: innovation@egbc.ca. LETTERS Innovation welcomes letters from our readers. All submitted letters may be subject to editing for length, clarity or accuracy. We reserve the right to reject unsuitable letters and we do not publish open letters to third parties. Send letters to: innovation@egbc.ca REPRINTS & COPIES All material is copyright. For reprint permission or extra copies, contact: innovation@egbc.ca SUBSCRIPTIONS All registrants with Engineers and Geoscientists BC receive Innovation in print or digital form. Registrants can update their communication preferences for Innovation in their accounts at egbc.ca/account. Send print or digital subscription requests to: innovation@egbc.ca. MANAGING EDITOR Shelley Nicholl Printed in Canada by Mitchell Press Ltd on recycled paper ADVERTISING SALES

the requirements of the Professional Governance Act . It's a positive change, and a necessary one. It offers future opportunities for advocacy and support for upcoming and established engineers and geoscientists—things that will benefit professionals and the public. We also understand you'll have a lot of questions: How will it be run? How much will it cost? What will new programs look like? What benefits will we have? Details will come as the advocacy body takes shape after the steering committee is established in August and selects the inaugural board of directors in the fall. The advocacy body board will make decisions on structure, costs, and programs. When the advocacy body is fully operational in two years, we should have a clear picture of what advocacy for engineers and geoscientists looks like. The creation of the advocacy body does not change registrants’ ongoing requirements or licensing fees. While some programs will no longer continue, Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s regulatory focus stays the same. The advocacy body offers a new direction for the professions. While other advocacy models exist in different industries, we have the ability to carve out what works for engineers and geoscientists in BC. We have the opportunity to create our own way forward allowing both organizations to thrive. You can be involved, too, and I would encourage anyone interested to look into serving on the advocacy body's board of directors or in another capacity as volunteer opportunities are confirmed. I have found my board and volunteer experience to be a great learning experience, personally and professionally. The ability to shape a future that will benefit others is incredibly rewarding. If you are interested in participating in the advocacy process, you can learn more at egbc.ca/advocacybody and provide your email address to connect with the steering committee. It's a new door open for engineers and geoscientists in BC. Let's embrace the value of this unique opportunity.

Mark Adams, P.Eng., Board Chair

info@egbc.ca

WEBSITE & DIGITAL EDITION www.egbc.ca/About/Publications/Innovation

ISSN 1206-3622 Publications Mail Agreement No 40065271. Registration No 09799. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Innovation , Suite 200 - 4010 Regent Street, Burnaby, BC V5C 6N2.

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NEW INDEPENDENT ADVOCACY BODY TO BE ESTABLISHED

Engineers and Geoscientists BC is initiating the creation of an independent advocacy body for engineers and geoscientists in BC. As the organization integrated the Professional Governance Act (PGA) regulations into its operations over the past two years, it became clear that it would need to adapt its operations to a regulatory-focused mandate. Under its former legislation, the Engineers and Geoscientists Act , the mandate of the organization encompassed regulation and advocacy for the professions. Under the PGA , Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s mandate is focused on the regulating the professions to ensure the public and environment are protected. Engineers and Geoscientists BC conducted a comprehensive review of its programs and activities, including those that were established under its former legislation and aligned more with an association than a regulatory body. During the course of this review, it was recognized that activities that do not necessarily connect to the organization’s mandate are still valuable. To that end, in April, the decision was made to establish a separate advocacy body, which is expected to be operational by July 2025. “Engineers and Geoscientists BC has undergone a significant evolution over the past three years,” said Heidi Yang, P.Eng., CEO. “With most PGA requirements now in place, we felt the time was right to make this change. "We needed to refocus our efforts to best deliver our regulatory mandate and advance our Strategic Plan, but in doing so we also wanted to find a way to retain valuable programs that have contributed to a strong and connected community of engineering and geoscience

professionals. Divesting advocacy activities to an independent organization creates clarity for both of our roles and allows regulation and advocacy for the professions to flourish.” KEY CHANGES Over the next two years, several programs and activities will be changing. Activities focused on community-building and registrant benefits programs are targeted to transition to the advocacy body. These include: ▶ The Branch program, which provides a way for professionals across the province to connect and network. The organization will be working closely with the many volunteers who have made this program successful to determine next steps. ▶ The Affinity Program, which offers Advertising program, which enables employers to recruit registrants for engineering and geoscience positions. These programs will remain in place at Engineers and Geoscientists BC until an appropriate timeline for transition can be determined. Other programs that no longer fit within the organization’s mandate as discounts on personal services for registrants, and our Career

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a regulator will stop within the next two years: ▶ The Awards program, which honours professionals who are nominated by their peers for career achievements. The program will be discontinued as of January 2024. ▶ Sponsorships, which provide financial support for external programs and events. This program will be discontinued later this year. ▶ The outreach program, which connects K-12 educators with engineers and geoscientists to promote interest in these professions. This program will be discontinued next year. ▶ The technical divisions, which serve as special-interest groups for specific areas of practice. Transition plans are

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underway to transfer division activities to current or new advisory groups. The organization will also be targeting some specific areas defined under the Office of the Superintendent of Professional Governance’s Standards of Good Regulation. These include: ▶ Enhancing engagement with post secondary students and institutions to reinforce licensure requirements. ▶ Investing more resources in equity, journey of truth and reconciliation. As part of its efforts to enhance EDI practices, Engineers and Geoscientists BC will be amalgamating the Women in Engineering and Geoscience Division and the 30x30 Champions Network to create an EDI Working Group that will continue to support the recruitment and retention of women in the professions, but with a broader approach that also focuses on other equity-deserving groups and the intersections between them. NEXT STEPS FOR THE ADVOCACY BODY The advocacy body will be established through a steering committee that will select the group’s inaugural board of directors. The steering committee is expected to be in place by August 2023. Engineers and Geoscientists BC will be providing $250,000 in initial seed money to support the establishment of the advocacy body. The advocacy body's board is expected to be in place this fall and will determine programs, services and membership costs. MORE INFORMATION As this work progresses, registrants will be updated through the website, eNews, and Innovation . Registrants who are interested in participating in this process can learn more at egbc.ca/advocacybody . diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives, including advancing the organization’s

4.When will the advocacy body be formed? The first step is to establish a steering committee by August 2023, which will select the advocacy body’s inaugural board. The advocacy body is expected to be operating by July 2025. 5. What kind of services will be offered? How much will fees be? Some of Engineers and Geoscientists BC's valued programming will transition to the advocacy body, including the Affinity Program, career advertising service, and the Branch program. Overall programs, services, and fees will be decided by the advocacy body. 6. What benefits will registrants see as a result of these changes? Since the introduction of the PGA , registrants have requested the organization do more to support registrants’ interests. Since this is not allowable under the PGA , two separate organizations, each focused on a clear and distinct mandate, will best allow regulation and advocacy to flourish. The advocacy body can dedicate resources to activities that promote the professions. 7. Will this be paid for by registrant fees? No. Engineers and Geoscientists BC will be providing $250,000 in initial seed money to support the advocacy body in getting established, but these funds will be taken from revenues from the career advertising service and the Affinity Program, not from registrant licensing fees. To view online, go to egbc.ca/About/ Programs-Initiatives/Advocacy-Body Webpage/Frequently-Asked-Questions .

1. Why is this change happening now? Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s first priority has always been public protection. For most of the organization’s life, it has juggled a mandate and legislative structure that has pulled it in two directions: public protection and registrants’ interests. The public and government expect professional regulators to maintain a clear and unwavering focus on public protection. The introduction of the PGA and our new Strategic Plan created a need for us to review our activities to ensure our resources are focused on our core accountability of public protection. 2. Was this decision initiated by government? No. This work was initiated by Engineers and Geoscientists BC to align the organization’s resources to effectively deliver on the organization’s public protection mandate and its Strategic Plan with its vision of modern regulation for a resilient world. 3. Why are some programs being discontinued? Each of the programs and activities reviewed was measured against the organization’s core accountability as a regulator: public protection. The organization's responsibility to government and the public is to ensure that our operations and resources remain focused on regulation. This led to an important but difficult decision to end some of these programs in the next year, while maintaining others in the expectation of transferring them to the advocacy body.

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For the 2023 Board election, registrants will be electing three Board members to each serve a three-year term. The following candidates have been selected to stand for Board member positions this year: 2023 BOARD CANDIDATES ANNOUNCED

ELECTION DATES The Board election will open by September 8 and close by October 13 at noon. All registrants in good standing, including trainees, are eligible to vote. HOW TO VOTE Registrants will be notified by email by September 8 with instruction on voting procedures. Electronic voting will only be available online and is secure and anonymous.

Board Candidate (Elect three)

Discipline

Location

Veronica Knott, P.Eng.

Mining

Victoria

Michelle Mahovlich, P.Eng., P.Geo. Geological/Geology Langford

Election information

Bijan Pourkarimi, P.Eng.

Mechanical

Vancouver

Eligibility

All registrants and trainees in good standing: P.Eng., P.Geo., P.L.Eng., P.L.Geo., EIT, GIT

Ivan Rincon, P.Eng.

Electrical

Victoria

Election opens

By September 8, 2023. Candidate profiles online at egbc.ca/Board-Election

Matthew Salmon, P.Eng.

Civil

Oyama

Election closes

At noon on October 13, 2023

The nominees are selected by the Nomination Committee, which screens candidates through a merit-based process that considers their demonstrated skills in leadership, strategy, financial literacy, risk management, human resources, regulatory understanding, governance, and technical proficiency. In previous elections, the Chair was elected separately. But, starting this year, registrants will be voting directly for Board members only. The Chair and Vice Chair will be selected by the elected Board members after the election. This change is to align with best practices for regulatory bodies.

Results

Announced by October 18. Available at egbc.ca/Board-Election

BOARD STRUCTURE Engineers and Geoscientists BC is governed by a board of elected registrants and government appointees. The board oversees the governance and management of the organization and is accountable to the public. All election information, including candidate profiles and voting procedures, will be available at egbc.ca/Board-Election by September 8.

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REGISTER FOR THE AGM - IT'S A HYBRID!

The changes eliminate the executive sub-committee and reallocate its responsibilities to a new human resources sub-committee and a re-named finance, audit and risk sub-committee. The governance sub-committee will be maintained. The new structure will be effective as of the 2023/2024 Board year. AGM RULES OF ORDER APPROVED The Rules of Order for the 2023 Annual General Meeting, scheduled for October 28, were approved. The rules were amended to support the hybrid format of this year’s meeting and will be published online in the fall. To access the full agenda package, visit egbc.ca/Board-Schedule-Minutes. motions. The deadline for submitting motions for consideration is 5 p.m., September 27. To submit a motion, please read the Motion Submission Guide and complete the Motion Submission Form available at egbc.ca/agm . For more information and to register, visit egbc.ca/agm . ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN WHISTLER OCTOBER 26-28 Gather with colleagues and learn valuable skills at the 2023 Annual Conference held in person on October 26–28, at the Whistler Conference Centre. For information on the program, Continuing Education courses and keynote speakers, please see pages 19-22 in this issue or go to egbc.eventsair.com/ac23/.

The 2023 Engineers and Geoscientists BC Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Saturday, October 28, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The AGM will

be conducted using a hybrid format, allowing registrants to attend online or in-person in Whistler, BC. The AGM is an opportunity for registrants to hear from the Board and senior staff about the organization’s strategic progress, key initiatives, and financial standing. It also provides an opportunity for registrants to bring forward motions for the consideration of the Board. All registrants are encouraged to attend and participate in the AGM. Students, and members of the public are welcome to attend as observers. All participants must pre-register to attend by October 19 at 12 p.m. Limited late registrations will be accepted, as space permits. All registrants, including trainees, are eligible to submit and vote on AGM Engineers and Geoscientists BC to publish credentials hearing decisions. The amendments have been reviewed and approved by the Office of the Superintendent of Professional Governance. Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s current Bylaws are available at: egbc.ca/About/ Governance/Legislation-Bylaws. BOARD GOVERNANCE UPDATES The Board approved a modified sub committee structure. The changes will streamline the operation of the sub committees, ensure decision-making authorities are clear, provide specialization, and reduce overlaps in authority related to financial responsibilities. The changes were approved following an initial review in 2020 and a comprehensive analysis in 2022.

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B O A R D R E P O R T

BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS: JUNE 16, 2023

Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s Board of elected registrants and public representatives meets throughout the year. The following are the highlights of its June 16, 2023, meeting. BYLAWS AMENDED

The Board approved several amendments to Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s Bylaws.

For disciplinary issues, two amendments now provide the organization the ability to suspend or cancel a registrant who fails to pay a penalty or costs following disciplinary action, and the ability to publish pre-hearing decisions for disciplinary hearings in cases where they pertain to assessment of the disputed issues or application of the law. The Bylaws were also updated to require

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COMPLIANCE RATE HIGH FOR ANNUAL REPORTING LATE FEES

More information on CE reporting requirements and how to report can be found on the Program Overview webpage ( egbc.ca/Continuing-Education/ Continuing-Education/Program-Overview ) or by watching the instructional video ( youtu.be/ttQOSOrOfYU ). engineering and geoscience professions. To learn more or to register, visit the event page at egbc.ca/Eve ts , or email Allison Smith at as ith@egbc.ca . The Events Page includes upc ming webin rs and on-demand offerings throu h the Online Learning Centre. To su gest future topics or sp ak rs, email pdevents@egbc.ca . P hoto : S hutterstock /G ordenkoff UPCOMING WEBINAR TO HELP DEVELOP LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Engineers and Geoscientists BC and Engineers Canada will hosting a free one hour webinar entitled Land Acknowledgments for Engineers and Geoscientists , scheduled for March 10, 2021. This session will explore the practice of acknowledging First Peoples and traditional land as a way to open meetings, and also as part of a larger process towards reconciliation between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Cassandra Polyzou of Engineers Canada will facilitate a panel discussion with Indigenous engineers, geoscientists, and Indigenous knowledge-keepers, on the importance of this traditional protocol and its application to the

Almost 20 percent more registrants completed their Annual Reporting (AR) by this year's June 30 deadline than last year. “We are pleased to see a 91.8 percent compliance rate for AR by this year's deadline, up from 72.1 percent last year. Registrants are to be congratulated for their commitment to meeting regulatory obligations," said Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s Chief Regulatory Officer, David Pavan. "We received feedback from multiple stakeholders that this year’s process was smoother and more intuitive, largely due to the new resources we have developed for guidance,” said Pavan. For Continuing Education (CE) compliance, this year 91.5 percent of registrants completed their requirements on time, up from 84.6 percent in 2022. LATE FILING Registrants who did not meet the deadline must complete their requirements and pay a late fee by September 30 to avoid suspension. Practising registrants must complete and report their CE activities before completing their AR requirements. Trainees and non-practising registrants are exempt from CE Program requirements; however, they must complete the AR process. ( egbc.ca/ Annual-Reporting ). Registrants who have not completed their AR by December 31, 2023, will Engine rs and Geoscient ts BC i eparing for the implementation of the Professional Gove nance Act (PGA)—ne governing legislation for professional regul tors in the natural and built environment, including Engineers and Geoscientists BC. The new legislation is anticipated to come into force in February 2021. Engi eers and Geoscientists BC will host a PGA webinar series in early 2021, on key obligations and requirements for registrants, including the updated Code of Ethics, Continuing Education requirem nts and the regulation of engineering and geoscience firms: • Understa ding the New Code of Ethics on J uary 27, 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM; • C ntinuing Education R uirements on February 10, 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM; and • Understanding Regulation of Firms on February 17, 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM. To learn more or register for upcoming webinar, visit egbc.ca/Events . Recordings of all three webinars will be made available to registrants at no charge through Engin er and Geosci ntists BC’s Online Learning Centre soon after the webinars themselves are completed. To ensure r gistrants are kept informed of the changes coming i o effect, we developed a special PGA reference guide, includ d in he November/Dec mber have their registration cancelled. To review the status of reporting requirements, registrants can go to their Account Dashboard ( www.egbc.ca/account ). Requirements that are highlighted in yellow with a "late" status will need to be addressed.

Trainees and non-practising registrants who did not complete AR by June 30 will be required to pay a $100 late reporting fee. Practising registrants who did not complete the CE Program requirements and submit their AR by June 30 will be required to pay a $200 late completion fee. To avoid suspension, late fees must be paid by September 30. Registrants who missed the reporting deadline due to an extenuating circumstance may apply for a late fee waiver by completing the online application form ( egbc.ca/Continuing Education/Continuing-Education/ Resources ). MORE INFORMATION For questions about AR requirements, registrants can visit the AR page ( AnnualReporting@egbc.ca ), email AnnualReporting@egbc.ca , or call 604.412.4896. edition of In ovation magazine ( egbc.ca/ nnovati n ), and produced a short vide ab ut the PGA. To register for the upcoming webinars, watch previous PGA webinars, download the insert, or view the video, visit egbc.ca/pga . If you have questions about the new legislation, email professionalgovernance@egbc.ca , or visit our website at egbc.ca/pga .

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THE RISE OF AI BEWARE THE UNKNOWNS: RISKS FOR ENGINEERS, GEOSCIENTISTS USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN PRACTICE You may already be using AI without knowing it—and that is one of the dangers AI presents. With AI accelerating in use and development, engineers and geoscientists are in uncharted territory for regulation and guidance.

DAVID WYLIE

A rtificial intelligence (AI) hype comes in waves; an ebbing and flowing tide of public discourse on how AI will shape society potentially for the better, possibly for the worse and increasing urgency over how to regulate it. Jens Weber, Ph.D., P.Eng., a professor at the University of Victoria and Engineers and Geoscientists BC Board member, says he finds the conversation fascinating. “If you just read the news, our society is ultimately rocked by innovations like ChatGPT, for example, image generation, creating artificial deepfake images,” he says. “There is so much unknown and uncertainties about AI, yet there are so many companies, industries, and hype around using this either in the process of engineering or in engineering

products that caution is really important about critically evaluating what you are going to use,” he says. Weber, who specializes in data engineering, health software engineering, and interoperability engineering, says that as a scientist looking under the hood at what makes the box tick is intriguing. It’s a “relatively primitive algorithm,” he says. If you have enough computational power and memory, predicting the probability of words to string into sentences can result in a system that appears intelligent enough to fool humans into thinking there’s another human on the other side of the screen. This type of generative AI learns from a corpus of documents on the Internet.

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Still, he says human intervention and sound processes are needed to vet AI appropriately and determine levels at which it should be permissible in tasks and projects, such as assessment, development, or actual integration into a product. Weber worries people are jumping on solutions based on buzz about AI, and it’s moving faster than we can keep up when it comes to safeguards and identifying risks. Members of the Software Engineering Advisory Group at Engineers and Geoscientists BC have been discussing AI and how it relates to the profession. Weber says it’s important that regulators are involved in the dialogue. “I am quite grateful we have a good discourse in Canada about the risks of technology, but I’m also happy that we do not necessarily say right away that we can’t go in a direction that is risky. There is also an appetite to go into areas that open up the possibility of innovations that are very beneficial to society,” he says.

Weber has done his own academic research using ChatGPT, looking into whether generative AI can help support areas of the engineering process. Together with his graduate student, he recently tested ChatGPT’s ability to recognize hazards in a safety-critical system. In the study, researchers described parts of a made-up system with inherent hazards and asked ChatGPT to identify all the risks. Then they scored the results. Some of the answers were incorrect, some correct, and some not reliable—but overall, the responses made the pair of researchers think more deeply about hazards. When ChatGPT posed questions that puzzled them, they saw where they’d made implicit assumptions in their model that they shouldn’t have made without validating them. “It did help us find some holes in the system descriptions and in our thinking about hazards. It’s almost like a mirror or a sounding board,” he says. “There is some potential.”

“I believe artificial intelligence in engineering and in geoscience will allow us to build solutions to tackle the significant challenges that we have… when it comes to climate change, sustainability, more efficient use of resources (that are getting scarcer every year), adaptation to a changing environment, and health care. All of this requires some sort of an enabler, and AI can play an important role there.” Weber says we should closely monitor AI systems through a global or national incident database, even though, typically, there’s no requirement for engineers or geoscientists to report them. He says we should encourage people who work with AI to record incidents, near misses, and wrong results. “That’s how we learn as a society, from incidents, from failures, from past experience on how to safely use these technologies,” he says. NO CONSENSUS YET ON HOW TO VALIDATE AI TOOLS Mike Henrey, EIT, is the automation team lead at Kardium in Burnaby. He uses his know-how in robotics and automation working on manufacturing equipment that makes heart catheters. Henrey, who holds a degree in systems engineering and a master's in applied sciences from Simon Fraser University, says he has concerns about using AI. Some applications are just not a good fit, including manufacturing because of the need for each component be exact each time. “So we don’t use machine learning or artificial intelligence in our applications currently,” says Henrey. “Our risk is we have software that’s controlling the physical properties of the product; every application needs its own risk assessment to figure out tools that are appropriate.”

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AI DESCRIBED Here are some useful terms: Algorithms — Step-by-step procedure or set of rules designed to solve a specific problem or perform a specific task. Artificial Intelligence (AI) — Simulation of human intelligence in machines programmed to think and learn like humans, including perception, reasoning, learning, problem-solving, and decision-making. ChatGPT — Standing for Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer; it’s an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI and launched on Nov. 30, 2022. Deepfake — A technique used to create or manipulate digital content, typically videos or images, by using AI and deep learning involving altering or replacing the original visual or audio content with synthesized or manipulated content to make it appear realistic. Deep Learning — A subset of machine learning using artificial neural networks with multiple layers to process complex patterns and representations. Generative AI — A branch of artificial intelligence that focuses on creating models and algorithms capable of generating original content, often producing novel outputs by learning from existing data patterns and generating new instances. Machine Learning — A subset of AI focusing on algorithms and models that allow computers to learn and make predictions and/or decisions based on data without being explicitly programmed to do so.

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IS IT A LOW- OR HIGH-RISK APPLICATION?

There is some middle ground to be found in this area in “locked

a known function to the data and spits out an output, then it’s very clear how we would validate that function,” he says. There is also uncertainty about how it will behave if given new data that it wasn’t trained on. That initial data set is vital, he says, as well as ensuring it has all the real-world inputs that the AI might see. All the questions Henrey raises are active areas of research, and there has yet to be a consensus on how to validate AI. One technique is to validate the output rather than trying to validate the tool itself. “I think that’s a good way of building confidence in a tool. Do the same work that the tool is doing in something representative and make sure that the outputs are correct,” he says. “But there’s a big caveat here. There is the potential for that underlying function to change over time in ways that we wouldn’t expect.”

algorithms,” he says, where the model is trained on data, then frozen so it will behave the same way moving forward. However, using an algorithm that changes, learns, and adapts over time, makes it much more difficult to assure consistency. “If that algorithm is processing some sort of safety critical sensor data, then we need to have confidence that it’s going to process the safety critical sensory data correctly today, tomorrow, and a year in the future,” he says. On the other hand, if underlying functions are unknown—which can be the case with a lot of tools that have been trained on an unclear dataset—it can be a lot more difficult to have good confidence. There’s not really a clear way of obtaining that confidence, he adds. “If we have a traditional algorithm where we feed it data and it’s applying

An important question to ask is: what is the intended use of the tool? That helps guide the risk process. “The effort that goes into validation needs to match with the amount of risk that the tool is associated,” says Henrey. High-risk usually involves AI integrated into a product, perhaps sensing real-world parameters, he says. Henrey says widespread use of ChatGPT put AI into the mainstream. “It’s made that transition from being a software engineering tool to a tool that is accessible to pretty much everybody in the public now,” he says. “I think we’d probably find that we’ve already incorporated low-risk tools into our day-to-day life, for example with project planning and scheduling.” While Engineers and Geoscientists BC has guidelines that are applicable to AI (particularly paragraph 3.3.3. in the BC Guide to the Standard for Documented Checks of Engineering and Geoscientist

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ROOTS OF AI GO BACK TO THE 1950s HISTORY OF AI

Work), Henrey says more direction is needed. “What would be helpful is to expand existing guidance and include AI in scope somehow because I think people are going to be using it more and more as time goes on. I think it would be useful to have an understanding of what some of the considerations are when they’re using it, to understand when it’s appropriate and when it’s not appropriate based on the intended use of the tool, the risk associated with the tool, and the knowledge of the underlying systems,” he says. Henrey says the next generation of engineers are paying attention to trends in the field. Algorithms and types of machine learning are fast evolving. While, generative AI has taken off with ChatGPT, it may not be dominant in the future. “There’s a lot of interest right now in big data, data processing, and machine learning tools for data analysis. Lots of students are looking for opportunities to expand their skill sets in those areas,” he says. NOT ALWAYS OBVIOUS WHAT AI IS DOING Simon Diemert, P.Eng., says sometimes it’s hard to spot AI when it’s operating in the background. The systems and software engineer at Critical Systems Labs in Vancouver has a degree in software engineering and a master’s in computer science from the University of Victoria. Diemert’s work involves design and analysis of safety-critical software intensive systems, safety assessments, and validation. His scope of work has covered automotive, rail, medical, and marine. He suggests a balanced approach when looking into AI.

The term “artificial intelligence” was officially coined in 1955 by a US mathematician and computer scientist. John McCarthy, then a professor at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, proposed a two month, 10-person study to take place in the summer of 1956, called the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence. “The study is to proceed on the basis of the conjecture that every aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it,” says the proposal. The event captured imaginations, and those who attended scattered and spread the idea of machine learning, hopeful they would make machines that could think and reason like us. However, during the ’60s and ’70s, the field of research went through the “AI winter” as funding diminished when the realization sunk in that building truly intelligent machines was much more complex than initially anticipated. AI experienced a resurgence in the ’80s and ’90s, with researchers exploring new approaches, such as machine learning. Rather than trying to explicitly program rules, they taught computers to learn from data. In the early 21 st century, AI became increasingly advanced as computers became more powerful and the Internet was flooded with an ocean of data.

I llustration : AI creation

Then in 2012, a deep-learning algorithm called AlexNet won a noteworthy computer visual recognition competition, significantly outperforming others in the field and sparking a revolution in AI deep learning. Neural networks, inspired by the structure of the human brain, have since shown unprecedented advancements. AI is now becoming increasingly woven into our everyday lives through virtual assistants, like Siri and Alexa, algorithms that recommend products and entertainment tailored to our individual tastes, and vehicles that navigate the streets avoiding pedestrians. It powers autonomous drones, diagnoses diseases, and even composes music.

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I llustration : AI creation

"What are we trading off here?" he adds. "Are we trading off an hour of somebody’s time to do the calculation manually or in a spreadsheet versus one minute. To me that trade-off is not appropriate if the AI could get it wrong. But if it’s going to take 10 million years of person-time and AI chugs away and spits out an answer in five minutes, well maybe that makes more sense.” He stresses it’s essential to understand the type of AI, as well as what it’s doing and what task it’s trained to do. “Sometimes that piece is actually tricky to tease out because the AI might be part of a larger tool,” he says. “Recognize that AI can be a lot of things. It’s not necessarily obvious as a user where the results are coming from. I think engineers know their tools quite well, but this is another case where they might have to stop and think, what is AI or machine learning really doing for me here?” Machine learning can be sensitive to small changes practically imperceptible to humans; meaning that, if the input changes a tiny amount, it could alter the output completely. That creates a need to thoroughly explore how sensitive the tools are to small changes in input. “I don’t think we should be relying exclusively, or at all, on AI or machine learning unless the tool’s outputs have been independently verified by a professional,” he says.

“When people are using an AI tool, sometimes there’s a tendency to jump into it because it’s flashy and exciting. It’s the next big thing. It’s usually good just to pause and think, ‘OK, do we really need this or are we just adding more uncertainty to our life?’ If you could do the same thing with a manual calculation, do you really need AI to do it for you, especially if the consequence of a failure is quite high?

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AI APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING AND GEOSCIENCE

Quality Control and Inspection: Visual inspection AI can be used in quality control to identify defects, anomalies, or deviations from desired specifications. Process Optimization: Analyzing data and identifying patterns through AI is used to improve efficiency and reduce waste in a number of applications, such as supply chain management and energy consumption. Robotics and Automation: Machine learning algorithms enable robots to learn from data and adapt to dynamic environments. It also applies to autonomous vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and robotic systems.

AI continues to make strides in several fields, including natural language processing, robotics, and health care. Here are some of the areas where AI is employed in engineering and geoscience: Design and Modelling: Generative algorithms use AI for design optimization and simulation based on specified constraints and objectives. Predictive Maintenance: A proactive approach using AI to keep facilities and equipment running optimally by anticipating and preventing failures; it can also reduce downtime and improve performance. “If you’re relying on the use of a tool, you’re still responsible for the output, and you should do things to confirm that that tool is producing sensible results. Engineers using those tools need to make a judgment about whether they trust the vendor. I would be skeptical of a vendor who says this is 100 percent perfect. Anyone should be skeptical of that.” Diemert says some vendors provide assurance before validation for their tools, such as the range of inputs they’ve already been tested on. And some models will provide their confidence level—but, he warns, models can be highly confident, yet also be wrong. “Some machine learning models have a fixed behaviour after training and will, given identical inputs, produce identical outputs; however, other models incorporate new information from the environment and thus change their behaviour over time,” he says.

Machine learning is applied in autonomous vehicles. P hoto : AI creation

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“As a general rule, we’re very cautious of models that change over time. It’s not appropriate to rely on them in a safety related context.” One of the ways Diemert tests his models is by coming up with “challenge cases” and choosing a genuinely tricky task for the model to handle within that operating domain. Then he exercises the model over variants of those challenges. In his work with cars, for example, AI sometimes struggles to detect specific pedestrians, such as someone wearing odd attire or an exceptionally tall person. They’ll run the model through numerous tests along those lines to find its limitations. Diemert says it’s important to differentiate between using AI to find solutions and using it to verify or produce dependable solutions. In drug development, for example, many initiatives are using AI to produce solutions, but they still go through the established process for drug trials. “One framework could be that perhaps we view these tools as ways of inspiring our work and coming up with new approaches,” he says.

I llustration : AI creation

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