How artificial intelligence is reshaping geotechnical engineering skills
Summary
The article discusses how AI is transforming geotechnical engineering by automating tasks, enhancing data analysis, and creating new skill requirements, while also raising ethical concerns about technology reliance.
Why It Matters
As AI adoption accelerates in geotechnical engineering, understanding its impact on skills and workflows is crucial for professionals in the field. This shift not only enhances efficiency but also prompts ethical considerations regarding oversight and accountability in engineering practices.
Key Takeaways
- AI adoption among geotechnical professionals has more than doubled in five years.
- New roles requiring interdisciplinary skills are emerging due to AI integration.
- AI tools are significantly improving efficiency in data handling and design processes.
As AI adoption grows across site investigations, modelling and construction, the profession faces a critical skills shift, alongside ethical questions about oversight and accountability.Dependency on underground engineering is soaring. The global tunnel construction market alone is forecast to grow from £88bn to over £160bn in the next decade. At the same time, expanding sectors such as renewable energy and offshore wind are creating a fresh reliance on geotechnical investigations, putting additional pressure on firms to deliver faster designs.As geotechnical companies scale up their capacity to meet this demand, artificial intelligence (AI) tools are being deployed to assist with routine desk tasks and accelerate some of the most time‑consuming processes, such as manual extraction of data from borehole logs, laboratory reports and field notebooks. Additionally, new specialist roles are emerging which require skills from different disciplines.This steady rollout of AI is changing how geotechnical contractors and consultancies work – and what skills they now expect from engineers. But as intelligent systems take over human tasks, the shift raises ethical questions about how far businesses can push the technology.Shaping daily workAI adoption has more than doubled among geo-professionals over the past five years. According to a 2025 survey of over 1,000 international professionals across geotechnical jobs by geoscience software company Seequent, 51% of respondents use AI in ...
