A McKinsey & Co. study released earlier this year predicted that the engineering and construction sector will be slow to embrace artificial intelligence (AI), but despite this slow adoption, presenters during a webinar hosted by Engineering News-Record said it can help E&C companies expedite early processes, create the best plans for projects and identify if a project is starting to go awry. Rob Otani, chief technology officer at structural engineering consulting firm Thornton Tomasetti Inc., explained that AI is already all around us -- for example, look at Gmail's suggested replies, which are inputted automatically without the users' involvement as part of a pattern-learning algorithm meant to save the user time. The key is finding where to leverage AI in professional capacities, Otani said. When designing structures, for example, AI can automate mundane and repetitive tasks, thereby allowing engineers to spend more time creatively solving problems, he continued. AI's ability to process and analyze millions of data points also means it can understand patterns and even detect ones a human can't, he added. Thornton Tomasetti, which has been studying machine learning for three years, developed a software application called Asterisk that it claims performs structural design of a building in seconds.

They will make your drinks, but they won't listen to your problems. Robot bartenders have made their way to the Las Vegas Strip -- evidence perhaps that Skynet is closer to becoming self-aware and will have a convenient place to take the edge off. Bar owner Rino Armeni swears this isn't yet another move to replace human beings. "No, no, no," he said gamely and with a laugh. Though, it should be noted, the fountains have not joined the labor force and been retrained to become, say, baristas.

The first fully robotic U.S. bar opening in Las Vegas this week aims to blend attraction and alcohol -- although conversation with the robot bartenders may not be quite as entertaining. Tipsy Robot, which is set to open Friday at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, features two bot bartenders that can mix and pour "perfect" drinks from more than 60 kinds of liquor in less than 70 seconds, the Las Vegas Sun reported. The bar is the only land-based establishment of its kind although a Royal Caribbean cruise ship has featured a full-automated bar in the past. The automated bar is the creation of Robotic Innovations chairman and longtime Las Vegas local, Rino Armeni. The former executive director of marketing for Southern Wine & Spirits as well as vice president of food and beverage at Caesar's Palace said he believes this type of innovation is the way of the future and there's no better place for blending entertainment and booze than Las Vegas.

In the construction industry, many projects involve remodeling or refurbishing existing buildings, and such jobs often face delays or cost overruns when hidden problems emerge. "Renovation projects live and die by the quality of information," according to Martin Fischer, a Stanford professor of civil and environmental engineering. New software can analyze this point cloud to automatically extract details to plan a remodel or other purposes. Newer buildings often have computerized blueprints and records, including details such as the number of rooms, doors and windows, and the square footage of floors, ceilings and walls. But such information may not exist for older buildings, necessitating the time-consuming and difficult task of collecting these details manually.

In the construction industry, many projects involve remodeling or refurbishing existing buildings, and such jobs often face delays or cost overruns when hidden problems emerge. "Renovation projects live and die by the quality of information," according to Martin Fischer, a Stanford professor of civil and environmental engineering. New software can analyze this point cloud to automatically extract details to plan a remodel or other purposes. Newer buildings often have computerized blueprints and records, including details such as the number of rooms, doors and windows, and the square footage of floors, ceilings and walls. But such information may not exist for older buildings, necessitating the time-consuming and difficult task of collecting these details manually.