The infrastructure sector is on the cusp of a technological revolution, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) poised to transform the way public and private assets are designed, built, managed, and operated. On Thursday, May 2, 2024, McCarthy Tétrault hosted a group of industry leaders to discuss this dynamic, some of the key legal questions arising from the advent of AI and the rapidly evolving intersection between AI and infrastructure.
The event opened with keynote remarks from John Gibson, Chief Commercial Officer at FacultyAI in London, UK. John delivered a presentation explaining some of the fundamental technological principles of artificial intelligence and highlighting how it can be used from a commercial perspective. He also presented several real world examples of AI tools built by FacultyAI to assist clients in delivering and managing infrastructure assets.
Following John's presentation, we convened a panel, moderated by Brad Nicpon (a Partner in the McCarthy Tétrault Toronto Infrastructure Group) and featuring the following panelists:
- Cathy R. Cobey, FCPA and Global Responsible AI Co-Lead at Ernst & Young LLP;
- Chris Mar, National Transformation Leader at PwC Canada;
- Charles Morgan, Cyber/Data Group Partner and National Co-Leader at McCarthy Tétrault; and,
- John Gibson, Chief Commercial Officer, FacultyAI.
Julie Parla (Partner in the Litigation Group at McCarthy Tétrault and Co-Head of McCarthy Tétrault's National Infrastructure Group) served as host for the event.
Key Takeaways:
- The AI revolution is here: Generative AI is already a transformative force embedded into daily life. Just like every business today is a digital business, every business in the future will need to become, in some shape or form, an AI business.
- AI in infrastructure: AI has the potential to revolutionize the entire life-cycle of both public and private infrastructure assets through intelligent decision-making support and human-centric automation.
- Data-driven decisions: The adoption of AI can turn a data deluge into valuable insights for more accurate and timely decision-making.
- AI applications in infrastructure: John Gibson shared compelling case studies that demonstrated AI's ability to optimize infrastructure operations and maintenance, such as vegetation management around rail lines, defect detection, in-patient and out-patient flows in hospitals, managing and reprioritizing project delivery schedules, and report writing automation. Chris Mar also shared his experience with inter-modal yards which optimize the movement of containers in shipyards through the use of sensors and cameras.
- Evolving AI legislation: Charles Morgan discussed how the EU Artificial Intelligence Act and Canada's Artificial Intelligence and Data Act may be creating new international norms regarding AI governance and accountability.
- Privacy and AI: Privacy concerns around the collection, processing, and sharing of personal information, remain one of many challenges to AI adoption. Cathy Cobey discussed difficult policy considerations such as when individual privacy concerns may be outweighed by collective, beneficial outcomes.
- Optimizing current assets: Our panelists also highlighted AI's role in optimizing the utilization of existing infrastructure, particularly as it relates to energy consumption and transportation. They emphasized the importance of building information modeling (BIM) systems and digital twins to unlock these optimization opportunities.
- Risk Management: Finally, our panelists addressed AI's inherent risks such as bias, the creation of synthetic data, surveillance, automated decision-making, and lack of transparency. Ultimately they concluded that these risks must be managed proactively in order to maintain both trust and system integrity.
Join Us for Future Conversations
We invite clients and industry professionals to reach out to our experts to continue the conversation about how AI could impact your infrastructure projects and operations. Our team at McCarthy Tétrault has extensive experience in infrastructure and technology law, and we are well-equipped to help you navigate the complexities of AI integration and application.
Whether you are seeking guidance on regulatory compliance, strategic implementation of AI tools, or insights on the latest AI advancements, our team is here to support you. Contact us to learn more about how we can assist in positioning your organization at the forefront of the infrastructure sector's AI revolution.
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