174 - My predictions for AI in fire

AI is changing the world. But can artificial intelligence truly revolutionize fire safety engineering? In this episode I took out my crystal ball, and tried to find answers in what aspects of fire engineering we could truly see a revolutionary impact of AI, and where it is more a disturbing gadget with no real application... Overall, working in the space for many years, and having talked with many luminaries of the use of AI, I would say my expectations are toned down a lot. I am still excited, but I've also learnt that really good AI applications require exceptional knowledge and resources, often at a level not accessible in fire science. While the building blocks are there, we may be short in the data, processing power or knowledge to truly apply it. At the same time, as AI became a buzzword for novelty, a lot of people pursue very simple AI applications with extraordinary claims - something that kind of triggers and annoys me...In this episode I try to give my opinion about the use of AI in:supporting fire modellingwriting and reporting (engineering and in science)data processingpredicting fire phenomenastudying fire phenomenamaterial propertiesfire testing and legislationEach of those I've ranked on an arbitrary scale of 1 - b-s. 2 - not too excited3 - a good use of AI4 - very exciting use of AI5 - paradigm shifting use of AIWhich got the highest rank? Listen to the episode to find by yourself :)In the episode I refer a lot to the previous episodes of the Fire Science Show in which AI technology was discussed. You can listen to those in the AI/ML section of the podcast, find them all here: https://www.firescienceshow.com/category/ai-ml/Big thanks to the inspirational guests and my close friends that helped me clear my mind on AI, especially to MZ Naser, Jakub Bielawski, Mike Spearpoint, Danny Hopkin, Matt Bonner, Xinyan Huang, Michael Kinsey and Mike Stromgren! ----The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.