Collaborative Research: IRES Track I: Artificial Intelligence and Human Designer - Research Experience in Singapore (AIHD Singapore)

University Of Texas At Arlington, Arlington TX

Investigators

Abstract

Although data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) have touched almost every aspect of human life, design work processes have not fully benefited from these enormous opportunities. A better understanding of the dynamics of the design process can create long-lasting positive impacts on the architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) industry that has traditionally suffered from chronic productivity problems in the United States. This project will recognize and enable the development of computational and collaboration competencies as essential 21st century skills for the workplace. Emergent applications of AI in the design and construction workplaces make it vital for planning to train computationally fluent AEC professionals for the future workforce. As technology becomes more embedded into AEC systems, we expect that the criticality of computational fluency will rise. This research will provide an unprecedented opportunity for U.S. students to participate in the transformative rethinking of the design development process. It also sets the ground for training them for a promising, multidisciplinary career in design management, productivity assessment, AI, and design computing, while promoting intellectual cross pollination among these fields. The proposed IRES AIHD-Singapore project will provide a unique ecosystem for U.S. students to study design transformation through the lens of data analytics and AI. IRES students will take ownership of a research project with researchers in internationally top-ranked universities in Singapore and form a global network of scholars to make substantial impacts on scientific and technical communities, and disseminate results via publications, conference presentations, and released open-source code. The U.S./Singapore faculty mentors will organize a set of cultural and professional activities before, during, and after the six-week internship at the AIHD-Singapore IRES site to enrich the students’ experience. This project will establish an international network dedicated to educating and mentoring U.S. undergraduate students in AI and human designer collaboration. The international collaboration is expected to promote students’ deeper understanding of design workflow in a data-rich environment where human designers benefit from AI to enhance design performance. The proposed professional and cultural workshops aim to address the critical shortage of data science talent in the U.S. AEC industry. The proposed collaboration among U.S./Singapore universities enhances the likelihood of the successful creation of a research community dedicated to developing a better understanding of how human designers can benefit from capabilities offered by big data and AI technologies in emerging collaborative design platforms. Students will engage in socio-cultural activities designed to expose them to Singaporean culture and history that provide context for fostering international scientific collaboration. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.