ABSTRACT
The traditional civil engineering process, whether planning, design, construction, operations, or maintenance, involved either an empirical/statistical or an analytical/theoretical approach to problem-solving. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the field of computer science that approaches problem-solving by replicating the manner in which people think. In solving most of the difficult and interesting problems in civil engineering, expert performance critically depends on expert knowledge as opposed to formal reasoning alone. One of the most promising applications of AI techniques, particularly expert systems, to civil engineering is the improvement of computer-aided design and drafting. Artificial intelligence techniques will be of great service not only in designing and building new structures, but in evaluating the condition of existing structures, especially those that are buried, submerged, or hazardous. Automated systems have long been used to make cars, steel, and ships, but they have been applied almost exclusively to repetitive tasks in controlled environments.
