Artificial intelligence provides a helping hand in our work

We have tried out how an AI-based chatbot could improve our work. In this blog post, we will let you know about our experiences. There are many uses for AI, and the chatbot is one of the easiest way to use it, but at the same time it is an important step, as it makes AI accessible to large masses. We believe that AI will be of immense help for the construction industry in the future. It is worth keeping an eye on the developments in this field.

The types of AI:

• Weak (or narrow) AI: Computers can complete a particular task more efficiently than human beings. They do not have a conscience or emotions. They may appear to be capable of thinking autonomously and in real time, but in fact they are only coordinating several narrowly focused processes. This is currently the highest level in AI (e.g., digital assistants, self-driving vehicles, image analysis software such as the new version of Google Translate>, that is able to recognize texts on photos and to translate them, search engines, speech recognition).
• General (or strong) AI is capable of surpassing human achievements in any intellectual domain. It can make decisions on its own, has creative skills and imagination.
• Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) has the ability to outperform the human brain in almost all areas.

The types of learning abilities:

• Machine learning: It identifies patterns in the data by using algorithms and is able to build data models and predictions from them.
• Deep learning: This is the advanced type of machine learning. It uses a network of algorithms and works with an immense amount of data, so it is able to handle greater ambiguities in a smaller data set.

What is a Chatbot?

Chatbots are, in fact, advanced software capable of human like conversation and interactive communication without the intervention of a real person. They have the advantage of being able to serve an unlimited number of clients at the same time and they can evolve and “learn”. There are some advanced systems that can replace the work of real people because of their human vocabulary and their broad knowledge base. ChatGPT is a newly released (11.30.2022) chatbot, that was developed by Open AI (with a number of big names behind it, such as Microsoft and Tesla).

ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) uses a 3.5 language model, is based on deep learning and is the second chatbot to pass the Turing test. It has been received with great interest by the industry, with more than 1 million people registrations in 5 days. ChatGPT is able to answer to running text with complex, meaningful sentences. There is no direct link between the file and the internetbut it is based on downloaded data, so some of its knowledge may not be up-to-date. I was not certain when the last update was, so I asked “him” (it would be worth a separate article to ask if the word “him” is even the right word to use here).

Some questions are avoided and deliberately not described in detail (e.g., violent acts, personalized advices or recommendations for financial investments) but in general we might receive information about these topics as well). It can be used in a variety of ways: including explaining difficult concepts, writing essays, planning a diet, or even writing program code. Software developers try to write simpler codes for it and to debug it. It is able to create a simple ToDo app with minor bugs or to debug entire long lines (of course, with some mistakes). It can help you organize a meal by knowing the intolerances, the number of participants, variations can be requested or recipes for different diets, a shopping list, etc.

ChatGPT test

We have assessed the knowledge of the ChatGPT by asking simple general questions and started to get a feel for how to use it, what types of questions to ask and the way to get more exact answers. Our experience was that it gave fairly generic answers at times, but when asked, it was able to specify and answer in more detail. After the warm-up questions, I would like to highlight two more interesting parts:

1. Revit test

There is a question in the test intended of our job applicants, applicants about “what affects the speed of a Revit model”. We also asked the chatbot the same question. We were curious, because there are no obvious list or answers to this question and literature on the theoretical background is hard to find on the internet. The ChatGPT’s answer was concise and appropriate at first. Its reply was surprisingly thorough, more comprehensive than that of 70-80% of our applicants.

Apart from the answers given, there are more factors that influence the speed of Revit. When pressed on these points, the chatbot was able to recognize them and to explain the reason why it was mistaken.

2. Choosing a password manager app

Our BIM studio, alongside the IT department, decided that they would like to use a common password management system. We determined the following points as requirements:

• group use,
• privilege management (e.g., some passwords can only be accessed by IT or by a particular person),
• history
• security,
• price.

There is a large number of password manager apps, so we asked one of our co-workers to check them out and to choose the most suitable one. He created a chart and compared the most popular ones. We asked the chatbot to do the same thing. The answers and the comparison were surprisingly thorough.

We have found that ChatGPT can be really helpful if we have the general knowledge of the topic or if we ask adequate questions. If we asked it to do a comparison based on factual information, it had precise answers. In this case, for example, we asked it to list the secure and cheap solutions. However, ChatGPT listed some password managers such as Lastpass that have been the subject of several recent security breaches. Because of this, it would not be considered secure. The reason for why it was on the list is probably due to the fact that its database is from 2021 and the password leaks started to happen last year. If we asked it to do a comparison based on factual information, it had precise answers.

The summary of our ChatGPT test

There are numerous ways to use AI. The chatbot is one of the easiest ways to use it, and at the same time it is an important step, because AI will be available for an immense amount of people. ChatGPT is already able to provide real help with our work. It is important to keep in mind that we should be careful what kind of questions we ask and should take its answers with a grain of salt and to ask for clarification if necessary.

What can we use it for in the future? In our opinion, as it evolves and becomes smarter, we will be able to use it for a wider range of uses: to replace the Google search engine, to collect design data faster and more efficiently, to debug simpler code more easily, and later on, only our imagination will limit the uses. Several researchers are working on using AI to digitize old blueprint files from different countries and to generate apartment building layouts based on this data and patterns. What is BIM reallyabout? In our case, it is about nothing less than efficient and high-quality design with digitized and structured data sets.

In essence, BIM models are “just” data sets. If we consider this, would it be unimaginable in the future that designers would use a chat or text-based AI to extract quantities from the model and to generate solutions and layouts? Maybe the operators will require a written statement about asset management or warranty data of their rental properties, while Google is already running AI-driven and optimized data centers using IoT? We believe AI will be incredibly helpful for the construction industry as well. as well. It is worth keeping an eye on what’s new and developing in this area.

As a conclusion we asked the AI to write a poem about us:

At Studio IN-EX in Hungary,

A general designer works with glee,

Using Revit and BIM every day,

To design in a modern, efficient way.

With innovation at the forefront of their mind,

They create buildings that are truly one of a kind,

Using the latest tools and technology,

To bring their ideas to reality.

So if you’re in need of a space designed right,

Look no further than Studio IN-EX in sight,

Where the team works with skill and grace,

To bring your vision to a dazzling place.

Author: Zsolt Oláh BIM studio leader