America has infrastructure problems. Almost half of American public roads is in poor or mediocre condition. Done 250,000 bridges across the country will need to be replaced in the next two decades. And a quarter of America’s GDP relies on five cities that all face extreme weather risks.
The dramatic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore earlier this year was a stark reminder that some of the most critical pieces of infrastructure in the US are also the most vulnerable. It took the Maryland government months to fully reopen the port; the repair of the bridge itself will take years.
Recently, flooding in the Queens-Midtown Tunnel—caused by human error by a crew working nearby—temporarily closed one of the busiest thoroughfares in a city that nearly 1 million people travel to work every day.
Doing nothing would be costly, both financially and in terms of public safety. Yet the truth is that the US simply does not have the manpower, resources or materials needed to prepare its infrastructure for an uncertain future affected by climate change.
Business leaders are praising AI for its potential to transform the digital world. But they are only now beginning to understand the enormous effect it can have on the physical world. AI can help us design, build, and rebuild many of America’s roads, bridges, factories, homes, and cities, ahead of a rapidly changing future.
Take sustainability. The construction industry is one of the world’s the most wasteful sector, responsible for almost 40% global carbon emissions.
However, it is based on vast amounts of data that can help with sustainability. Typically 95% of data is collected during construction remains unused. This includes everything from material usage and source information to energy consumption metrics, transportation logistics, and even waste generation during the construction process.
Artificial intelligence can analyze this data and improve decision-making about material use and energy consumption, reducing project waste.
One example from our own work is our partnership with MBH Architects and FactoryOS on Project Phoenix, an affordable housing development in West Oakland, California. We’ve cut time, cost and carbon footprint by nearly half compared to traditional housing in the San Francisco Bay Area, thanks to AI-optimized construction waste reduction.
Projects also include multiple models of architects, engineers, urban planners, manufacturers, designers and construction workers. AI can facilitate communication in these often vast and complicated undertakings.
Related data helped to optimize the transformation of San Diego International Airport’s Terminal 1, allowing all stakeholders in a complicated construction project to submit and access data on a common platform.
AI can also reduce the amount of time spent designing large projects from months to mere minutes. By strategically incorporating this new technology into the design process, project teams can get information faster without sacrificing quality, allowing everyone to do more in less time and allowing teams to focus on more innovative and productive activities.
Finally, artificial intelligence can prevent something like the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge from happening again. It can identify potential problems and help designers create more efficient and durable structures.
But there is still a major obstacle to integrating artificial intelligence into infrastructure design and construction: the slow adoption of digital technologies by public infrastructure owners.
The US and other governments must drive digital transformation in the sector, so it is critical that policymakers strike the right balance between mitigating the risks of AI while encouraging its development. The new US presidential administration and future Congress have an opportunity to modernize infrastructure development and create a new regulatory framework for AI, infrastructure and security that does not stifle innovation.
A more sophisticated design requires innovative technology to support it. In the short term, AI will enable companies and governments to make better decisions earlier in the process. Additionally, AI can help human designers express their ingenuity and create a better future—and perhaps help the US solve its infrastructure crisis before it’s too late.
Fortune’s Brainstorm Design conference returns on December 5 at MGM Cotai in Macau. Panelists and attendees will debate and discuss “Experiments in Experience,” designs that blur the line between the physical and digital worlds to captivate users and foster lasting connections. Register here!
