Talking about BIM to chatGPT –getting the perspective from AI

In conversation with many colleagues, it is evident that this AI language engine is very impressive and capable of sourcing information from across the internet to form responses to questions.

One of my colleagues quoted a line from the movie I, Robot, where Will Smith’s character, Detective Del Spooner, asks the robot Sonny about art and music:

Detective Spooner: “You know, you guys (robots) got it all. You got the strength, you got the speed, you got the memory. But you don't have the one thing that makes us human.”

Sonny: “What's that, Detective?”

Detective Spooner: “Art, music. You don't create, you don't appreciate. You don't have the ability to recognise beauty.”

Sonny: “I recognise beauty, Detective. I just don't create it.”

Inspired by this, I decided to interview the chatGPT AI Bot about BIM in the South African municipal context. The following transcript (not always verbatim) is insightful, particularly as it presents a summary of the available literature that was used by this AI up until 2021. Remember, chatGPT is an AI, but it is uncannily insightful. Let’s see how your BIM general knowledge compares.

CHATGPT Q&A

Please would you introduce yourself to the IMIESA readers

ChatGPT Hello, my name is ChatGPT and I am a large language model trained by OpenAI. I am here to assist you with any questions you may have regarding civil engineering and related topics. I have knowledge of the latest advancements in the field and can help you with anything from design and construction to maintenance and operation of infrastructure projects.

How is BIM applied to municipal infrastructure?

BIM is a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a building or infrastructure project. When applied to municipal infrastructure, BIM can be used to plan, design, construct and manage a wide range of public works projects, such as roads, bridges, water and sewage systems, and public buildings.

BIM can be used to create detailed 3D models of the infrastructure, which can be used for visualisation, analysis and simulations. This can help municipalities to make betterinformed decisions about the design and construction of infrastructure projects, as well as to improve the maintenance and operation of existing infrastructure.

Additionally, BIM can be used to better coordinate and collaborate between different stakeholders, such as architects, engineers, contractors and facility managers, which can help to improve project outcomes and reduce costs.

What are the top reasons why BIM is not implemented by municipalities?

There are several reasons why municipalities may not implement BIM, including:

- lack of knowledge and training

- BIM can be a costly investment, and municipalities may not have the budget to invest in the necessary software, hardware and training

- resistance to change

- some municipalities may not have the resources, such as staff or equipment, to implement BIM effectively

- BIM is still a relatively new technology, and there may be a lack of standardisation in terms of data and processes, which can make it difficult for municipalities to implement

- many municipalities may not be aware of the benefits of BIM and the potential it has to improve the design, construction and maintenance of infrastructure projects

- lack of government policies and regulations.

What action can municipalities take to overcome BIM implementation challenges?

The following are examples. Municipalities can:

- invest in education and training programmes

- develop a comprehensive BIM strategy that outlines the goals, objectives and requirements for implementation

- collaborate with other municipalities, organisations and industry groups to share knowledge, resources and best practices

- develop standards and guidelines

- establish a BIM project team

- encourage BIM adoption by contractors and consultants

A tailored approach that considers the unique challenges and opportunities of the municipality is likely to be more successful in overcoming the barriers to BIM implementation.

How does BIM adoption in South Africa compare to the rest of the world?

The South African government has implemented a BIM mandate for public infrastructure projects, and many construction companies, consultants and contractors are now using BIM to some extent. However, the adoption and implementation of BIM is still not widespread and varies greatly among different organisations and projects.

South Africa lags countries such as the USA, Canada, the UK and some countries in Europe, where BIM has been adopted more extensively and is more widely used in the construction industry. Additionally, the level of BIM proficiency and the use of advanced BIM features and functionalities is also considered to be lower in South Africa compared to other countries. Despite this, it is expected that the adoption of BIM in South Africa will continue to grow in the coming years, as the government and the construction industry continue to promote and invest in BIM.

What is the significance of ISO 19650 adoption in South Africa?

ISO 19650 is a set of international standards. It provides a framework for the use of BIM in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure projects.

The adoption of ISO 19650 in South Africa has several potential benefits for the construction industry, such as:

• ISO 19650 provides a common language and a set of guidelines for the use of BIM.

• BIM can be used to improve the quality and performance of infrastructure projects, and the use of ISO 19650 can help to ensure that projects are designed,

ChatGPT is based on the GPT (Generative Pre-training Transformer) model, which was developed by OpenAI. The original GPT paper, which describes the architecture and training method used in the model, is: Brown, T., Mann, B., Ryder, N., Subbiah, M., Kaplan, J., Dhariwal, P., ... & Schulman, J. (2020). ‘Language models are few-shot learners’. arXiv preprint arXiv:2005.14165.

This paper was presented at the 2020 International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR) and it describes the GPT-3 model, which is built and maintained in a consistent and efficient way.

• The use of ISO 19650 can help to ensure that projects are designed and built to meet safety and sustainability requirements.

• It may lead to improved regulatory compliance.

• ISO 19650 can help to improve the competitiveness of the South African construction industry by providing a framework for the use of BIM that is widely recognised and accepted internationally.

How could the adoption of BIM in South Africa support the NDP 2030?

The National Development Plan 2030 (NDP) sets out a vision for the development of South Africa, and the adoption of BIM could support the achievement of several of the targets outlined in the plan, including:

• The use of BIM can help to improve the efficiency and productivity of the construction industry, which can lead to economic growth and job creation. BIM can also help to reduce project costs and improve project outcomes, which can make infrastructure projects more attractive to investors.

BIM requires a high level of skill and knowledge, which can help to develop a skilled workforce that can support the growth of the construction industry.

• BIM can be used to improve the delivery of services, such as maintenance and operation of infrastructure projects, which can help to improve the quality of life for citizens.

• BIM can be used to improve transparency and accountability in the construction industry, by providing detailed and accurate information about infrastructure projects.

What sources do you use to formulate your responses to questions about BIM?

As a language model, I am trained on a large corpus of text data, which includes a wide range of information about BIM and civil engineering. This data includes textbooks, research papers, articles and other sources of information about BIM, its applications, best practices and current trends.

Additionally, I have been trained on the latest advancements and developments in the field, ensuring that the information I provide is accurate and up to date. My knowledge cut-off is 2021, so some of the information I provide might be outdated if the question is about events or developments that occurred after that date.

Reflections

I confess that I was blown away by this interview. Not just by the technological capability of this computer algorithm, but more by the facts about our country and my industry that can be summarised so simply and succinctly that it leads me to one conclusion: we know what to do – even the computers know what needs to be done – so why are we not doing it?

Perhaps a deeper question to ponder: do we have the fortitude to pull together to take the necessary decisions, as a country and as the custodians of infrastructure, to build the tomorrow that is already known… to us and the computers!