Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center for AI in Construction (AI-Con)

工程研究中心的规划赠款竞争是作为ERC计划内的试点招标运行。 规划赠款不需要作为整个ERC竞赛的一部分，但旨在建立团队之间的能力，以规划融合的，中心规模的工程研究。该规划补助金支持在建筑行业实施人工智能（AI）的研究路线图的发展，并形成一个多机构团队致力于NSF工程研究中心（ERC）。建筑业是全球最大的行业之一，雇用了全球7%的劳动力，每年为世界经济贡献超过10万亿美元。然而，它的生产率是所有制造业中最低的，劳动密集型工作具有重大的安全风险，成本不断上升。新的人工智能技术有可能解决所有这些挑战，带来巨大的积极的经济和社会影响。人工智能有望彻底改变建筑行业，就像装配线彻底改变汽车行业一样，为美利坚合众国带来显着的成本降低，更高的生产力以及更安全，更高薪的工作。有三项主要活动。第一个是咨询委员会会议。由10名成员组成的咨询委员会将由人工智能领导者、建筑行业领导者以及与建筑行业相关的政府代表组成。其目标是（1）正式确定ERC规划补助金咨询委员会，（2）完善和解决ERC的主要研究主题，以及（3）从美国学术机构中确定一组15人邀请参加第二次活动。第二个活动是关于建筑中的AI主题的研讨会。其目标是（1）制定一个研究路线图，以实现ERC的愿景，（2）确定ERC提案的学术合作伙伴。第三项活动是ERC提案撰写研讨会。其目标是（1）制定一个有竞争力的ERC预提案的大纲，（2）确定ERC的潜在行业股东，以及（3）确定一个多元化的ERC领导团队，该团队将包括来自每个合作机构的代表，以执行ERC的所有四个基本组成部分：研究，工程劳动力开发，创新生态系统和包容性文化。ERC的影响将包括人工智能算法、人机界面、生成式设计的机器学习以及深度学习的重大进步，这些进步将改变建筑项目从概念到设计再到完工的各个方面的运作方式。对建筑人工智能的研究将有助于迎来人工智能的“第三次浪潮”，这将标志着人类水平的学习、思考、推理和解决问题的能力的提升。新的人工智能技术-以及迈向第三次人工智能浪潮的进步-将在很大程度上适用于建筑行业之外，影响许多其他学科和社会的各个方面。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Planning Grants for Engineering Research Centers competition was run as a pilot solicitation within the ERC program. Planning grants are not required as part of the full ERC competition, but intended to build capacity among teams to plan for convergent, center-scale engineering research.This Planning Grant award supports the development of a research roadmap for implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in the construction industry and the formation of a multi-institutional team working toward an NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC). Construction is one of the largest global industries, employing 7% of the world's workforce and contributing more than $10T annually to the world economy. However, it has the lowest productivity of any manufacturing industry, labor-intensive jobs with significant safety risks, and ballooning costs. New AI technologies have the potential to address all these challenges, leading to massive, positive economic and social impact. AI is poised to revolutionize the construction industry similarly to how the assembly line revolutionized the automobile industry, leading to significant cost reductions, higher productivity, and safer, better paying jobs for the United States of America. There are three primary activities. The first is an advisory board meeting. The 10-member advisory board will consist of leaders in AI, construction industry leaders, and government representatives connected with the construction industry. Its objectives are to (1) formally define the ERC planning grant advisory board, (2) refine and resolve the primary research themes of the ERC, and (3) identify a group of 15 individuals from US academic institutions to invite to the second activity. The second activity is a symposium on the topic of AI in Construction. Its objectives are to (1) develop a research roadmap to achieve the ERC vision, and (2) identify the academic partners for the ERC proposal. The third activity is the ERC preproposal writing workshop. Its objectives are to (1) produce an outline of a competitive ERC preproposal, (2) identify potential industry shareholders for the ERC, and (3) identify a diverse ERC leadership team that will include representatives from each partnering institution to carry out all four foundational components of an ERC: research, engineering workforce development, innovation ecosystem, and a culture of inclusion. Impacts of the ERC will include significant advancements in AI algorithms, human-machine interfacing, machine learning for generative design, and deep learning that will transform how construction projects operate in all aspects from conception to design to completion. Research on AI for construction will help usher in the 'third wave" of AI, which will signal an ascent toward human-level learning, thinking, inferencing, and problem solving. The new AI technologies - and advancements toward the third wave of AI - will largely be adaptable outside the construction industry to impact many other disciplines and various aspects of society.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.