AI for Consulting Firms

Engineering AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize the architecture and engineering industry in the future. While this technology is still developing, current large language models (LLM), such as ChatGPT, can offer immediate benefits to business operations. ChatGPT, available for free use at openai.com, provides users with the opportunity to interact with a LLM through a basic prompt, that will provide answers and create content for an extensive variety of questions and requests. Simply open an account by providing your email address and then click on the ChatGPT option. You will be directed to a "chat page" where you can interact with the LLM through a message box, referred to as a "prompt." Simply input your question into the prompt for real-time responses. Here are a few simple examples of how consulting firms can use ChatGPT to save time and money:

1. Research marketing data by asking ChatGPT for a list of specific organizations that fit your target client persona in a specific region or market. You can follow-up by asking ChatGPT to outline a marketing campaign for you.

2. Perform administrative tasks by copying draft letters, emails or short reports into the prompt and ask ChatGPT to rewrite the text with proper grammar, and you can even choose various tones such as business, personal, etc.

3. Summarize the content of various documents by copying the text into the prompt and asking ChatGPT to summarize the content in a specific length (words, key points, etc.). You can also ask ChatGPT to answer various questions based upon the content. For fun ask ChatGPT to summarize the book "Good to Great" in 500 words.

4. Pick a local lunch spot to celebrate your newly-found free time by asking ChatGPT the best Italian restaurants in your town. You will get a list of several highly rated locations, but you will also realize that one of the limitations of ChatGPT is the model's historical data ends in September 2021, so any information after this date is not included in the results. Knowing the system limitations is just as important as understanding the capabilities.

While these examples represent basic applications, they begin to demonstrate the time-saving potential of AI. More complex applications regarding spec development, code review, drawing creation, etc. are coming soon. Beginning to adopt simple applications now will support a smoother future transition.

It is important to note that the output of LLM's depends on the structure of the input. With the correct prompts, current AI systems can provide comprehensive and insightful machine-generated content. This has led to the emergence of the "Prompt Engineering" skill base, which focuses on extracting the best and most relevant data from AI systems. Two basic tips to get started include creating a specific context for results (ie. "in 500 words or less") and identifying a resource ("according to...").

By embracing even simple AI technologies, engineering consulting firms can begin to revolutionize their operations. The adoption of AI can lead to increased efficiency, improved project outcomes, reduced costs, and a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving industry landscape. Saving just 10 hours per week can result in a 20% increase in production (revenue) without any increase in cost.

A comprehensive review of an organization's workflow systems will likely uncover areas that can significantly benefit from current AI applications. This could also prompt a revision of the company's business model and strategic plan to fully integrate these technologies and prepare for future advancements.