AI-powered technologies are revolutionizing water management, tackling critical challenges with innovation and efficiency. Ayman shares real-world examples of integrating machine learning, digital twins, and generative AI into operations to enhance decision-making, optimize resources, and improve stakeholder collaboration. Digital twins provide predictive insights for real-time water allocation and risk-based planning. One example features AI-powered dashboards enabling a water manager to optimize reservoir and groundwater withdrawals, balancing water availability and energy production. This multi-objective approach supports drought resilience and infrastructure sustainability. Generative AI further streamlines operations by automating complex tasks. A notable example is EKI's grant tracking tool, which uses AI to update data from over 160 website sources, saving time and improving accuracy. AI-powered business intelligence solutions also offer real-time dashboards for performance evaluation, investment planning, and resource allocation, delivering tailored, actionable insights. AI bridges gaps between technical experts and decision-makers, such as project managers and city engineers. Natural language processing dashboards enhance communication, simplify scenario planning, and support public engagement by making complex data accessible and integrating feedback, ensuring more transparent collaboration. This presentation highlights the importance of starting with pilot projects that focus on high-value, low-complexity applications, enabling scalable and adaptable solutions. By integrating AI into infrastructure design, risk management, and stakeholder engagement, the water sector can achieve greater sustainability, resilience, and innovation, unlocking the full potential of these transformative technologies.

• Understand the Role of AI in Water Management and Environmental Consulting
• Identify Practical Use Cases for AI
• Develop Strategies for Starting AI Projects
• Enhance Collaboration Using AI
• Plan for Sustainable AI Adoption

About Dr. Ayman Alafifi
Dr. Alafifi is EKI’s Innovation Lead and has over 15 years of experience in developing dashboards and decision support tools for water resources planning and management. Dr. Alafifi is a proficient data scientist and an expert in business intelligence, simulation and optimization of complex systems. He has successfully led multiple DST and dashboard development efforts that have guided multi-state and regional stakeholders to select and prioritize water supply and demand alternatives and watershed ecosystem restoration projects. He was the technical lead for multiple public and private sector simulation and optimization models to streamline the planning and operations of complex systems, facilitate prioritizing alternatives, and improve communication of modeling and planning outputs. Beyond his technical expertise, Dr. Alafifi has extensive experience in technology consulting, leading large modeling teams to improve data flow, quality control, visualization, and analysis for capital improvement projects and asset management plans.

Co-presenting with Jamison Morse, Principal, PVE, LLC

Compliance engineering is a complex and rapidly evolving aspect of the AEC industry, encompassing everything from facade and parapet inspections in New York City to decarbonization and code compliance across the nation. In this session, Jamison Morse and Sean Bailey of engineering firm PVE share how they are leveraging automation and AI to transform compliance processes into scalable, efficient, and cost-competitive services. Drawing on real-world examples, including custom tools that positioned PVE as one of New York City’s leading filers of facade reports, they demonstrate how applying AI to existing workflows—not reinventing the wheel—can drive immediate business impact without significant up-front investment. With an in-house innovation team collaborating closely with engineers, PVE’s solutions are built with a deep focus on usability, tested in the field, and designed to meet the real-world challenges of regulatory compliance. This session is highly relevant for AEC leaders exploring practical ways to incorporate AI into their business strategy. Learn how automation can reduce costs, scale operations, and even shift business models from billing by the hour to billing for value delivered.

• Understand the practical applications of AI to compliance-based engineering processes: Learn how to seamlessly integrate AI into existing compliance processes in structural, environmental, and civil engineering, making your business more efficient without heavy upfront investment or disruptive overhauls.
• Understand where AI is most impactful – and where it can fail: Based on real-world applications across AEC disciplines, you see where the current state of AI technology can be most impactful in existing business processes.
• Analyze proven case studies in inspection automation: Discover how PVE’s proprietary parapet and facade inspection tools propelled the firm to the forefront of New York City’s compliance market, demonstrating the power of automation to drive competitive advantage, scalability, and profitability.
• Design and deploy in-house innovation and technology expertise: Gain actionable insights into building internal technology teams that collaborate with engineers, ensuring software solutions are rigorously tested in the field and tailored to meet real-world compliance demands.
• Redefine product delivery and business models with automation and AI: Explore how automation can pave the way for value-based pricing models, moving beyond hourly billing to deliver scalable services that directly align with client outcomes and operational growth.

About Sean
Sean Bailey, leading as the Software Developer at PVE, innovates in custom software solutions, leveraging his unique blend of technical and philosophical expertise to enhance the firm’s engineering and architectural projects. Sean’s forward-thinking approach has been key in introducing new efficiencies and capabilities, marking him as a critical driver of technology and innovation within the company. 

AI has staggering potential to improve the practice of design and engineering, yet many AEC leaders struggle to integrate it—not due to technical limitations, but because of static beliefs and organizational habits. Organizations are wired to resist change, and AI challenges long-established ways of thinking, our relationship to machines, and the value that professionals provide. Without addressing these deep-seated mental models, even the best AI initiatives risk facing resistance and stagnation. Ready to make a big leap forward, and pull your most talented colleagues along? A 25-year health care architect and firm dynamics expert explains how you can surface and shift perspectives to accelerate AI adoption. He shows us:

• What mental models are and how they shape decision-making in AEC organizations
• Your beliefs and assumptions that can either support or hinder AI integration
• Methods for identifying and adjusting limiting perspectives
• Strategies for fostering productive dialogue that encourages openness to AI-driven change

By the end of the session, you’ll see how mindset influences AI adoption and leave with practical approaches to overcome these challenges more effectively.

About Todd
With 25+ years of experience as a healthcare architect, Todd’s deepest professional satisfaction comes not from project work but from facilitating organizational improvement. Inspired by powerful schools of thought like lean, agile, and knowledge management, he gets unreasonably excited using what he’s learned to help the people around him experience greater ease in their work.

He is currently Director of Practice Improvement at Boulder Associates, a 240-person architecture and interior design firm with 8 offices.

Ready to move beyond the AI hype but not sure where to start? Get an insider look a 500-employee AEC firm Clark Nexsen's process for creating its AI strategy and how you can adapt it at your own firm. You'll learn how to establish an AI innovation hub, build internal support, and develop practical policies that work in the real world. We'll share our successes, challenges, and lessons learned as we built our approach to fostering responsible AI innovation. Whether you're just starting your AI journey or looking to formalize your existing efforts, you'll leave with actionable insights and practical steps to develop a cohesive, sustainable AI strategy for your organization. Learn how to:

• Develop a framework for evaluating AI implementation options ranging from off-the-shelf tools to custom solutions that align with your firm's resources and objectives.
• Create an AI roadmap that connects tactical activities to strategic goals while maintaining focus on your core mission.
• Design and conduct research that helps you understand both your employees' AI sentiments and current AI tool usage across your organization.
• Create clear, practical AI guidelines and usage labels that give your team the governance they need without limiting their innovation.
• Build a thorough risk and challenge assessment that helps you make strategic decisions about AI implementation in your firm.

About Ryan Johnson
A licensed Architect turned technologist with over 18 years of experience, Ryan believes technology shapes both the design process and built environment. He founded Clark Nexsen's Tech Studio and now leads the firm's Computation and AI Hubs within the CNCPT Collaborative, where he was instrumental in developing the firm's AI strategy. He specializes in implementing technologies that augment architectural design. His computational approaches have been key to many award-winning projects, demonstrating how technology elevates design excellence. A frequent speaker and thought leader, Ryan regularly presents at industry conferences and universities on topics ranging from practical AI implementation to computational design strategies in architecture. His expertise and leadership contributions include serving as the 2020 chair of The American Institute of Architects Technology in Architecture Practice (TAP) national Knowledge Community and chairing the National AIA Innovation Awards and Building Connections Conference. Ryan's contributions to the industry have been widely recognized, including being named in ENR's National Top 20 under 40. He continues to bridge the gap between traditional architecture and emerging technologies, proving that computational design and AI can enhance both the creative process and built outcomes.

AI is rapidly becoming a part of AEC workflows, but firm operations leaders may have questions about the return on investment in new technology. Hear ha first-hand account of a real and practical AI Implementation Case Study at a 250-person interior design firm, where Stjepan Mikulic, founder of training consultancy AI in AEC, helped the company save $4.5 million through optimizing technology. Hear his surprising insights on why BIM isn’t as needed as we might think, but AI and automation are. Stjepan will present his vision for the best applications of new technology in AEC as well as his 9-step process on practical AI implementation applicable to any AEC firm.

• A 9-step process to creating a practical AI Implementation Plan
• Minimizing your firm's software costs by optimizing your tech stack
• How to solve bottlenecks through automation, AI apps and optimized workflows
• Learning about AI solutions in the AEC and why the industry needs it in the first place

About Stjepan Mikulić

Beginning his career as BIM Coordinator at Sweco and later serving as Project BIM Lead at BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, Stjepan found his passion is to empower every AEC professional to solve challenges through learning, implementing, and developing AI and cutting-edge tech.

He does this through his global training platform AI in AEC and sharing insights on LinkedIn, maintaining the AEC AI Hub and consulting AEC companies on AI, BIM, and technology implementation. For AEC professionals who want to go beyond the surface of AI on their own terms, he created two courses to go from zero to AI superhero in short order.

Co-presenting with Sean Bailey, Director of Structures, PVE, LLC

Compliance engineering is a complex and rapidly evolving aspect of the AEC industry, encompassing everything from facade and parapet inspections in New York City to decarbonization and code compliance across the nation. In this session, Jamison Morse and Sean Bailey of engineering firm PVE share how they are leveraging automation and AI to transform compliance processes into scalable, efficient, and cost-competitive services. Drawing on real-world examples, including custom tools that positioned PVE as one of New York City’s leading filers of facade reports, they demonstrate how applying AI to existing workflows—not reinventing the wheel—can drive immediate business impact without significant up-front investment. With an in-house innovation team collaborating closely with engineers, PVE’s solutions are built with a deep focus on usability, tested in the field, and designed to meet the real-world challenges of regulatory compliance. This session is highly relevant for AEC leaders exploring practical ways to incorporate AI into their business strategy. Learn how automation can reduce costs, scale operations, and even shift business models from billing by the hour to billing for value delivered.

• Understand the practical applications of AI to compliance-based engineering processes: Learn how to seamlessly integrate AI into existing compliance processes in structural, environmental, and civil engineering, making your business more efficient without heavy upfront investment or disruptive overhauls.
• Understand where AI is most impactful – and where it can fail: Based on real-world applications across AEC disciplines, you see where the current state of AI technology can be most impactful in existing business processes.
• Analyze proven case studies in inspection automation: Discover how PVE’s proprietary parapet and facade inspection tools propelled the firm to the forefront of New York City’s compliance market, demonstrating the power of automation to drive competitive advantage, scalability, and profitability.
• Design and deploy in-house innovation and technology expertise: Gain actionable insights into building internal technology teams that collaborate with engineers, ensuring software solutions are rigorously tested in the field and tailored to meet real-world compliance demands.
• Redefine product delivery and business models with automation and AI: Explore how automation can pave the way for value-based pricing models, moving beyond hourly billing to deliver scalable services that directly align with client outcomes and operational growth.

About Jamison
Jamison Morse, PE, RA, serves as the Principal and Director of Structures at PVE, LLC, a role he has held since May 2009. With a master’s degree in architectural engineering, Jamison has spearheaded numerous innovative structural projects. His expertise blends technical proficiency with architectural acumen, driving advancements in sustainability and design within the engineering field. His leadership at PVE reflects a commitment to excellence and innovation in structural engineering.

AT AEC INNOVATE, Jonathan explains how Populous is applying AI to the global design firm's unique data sets across the business: in design, human resources, finance, operations and more. He also shares the backstory of "The Sphere" in Las Vegas, which Populous created using next-level immersive design. Plus, he demystifies complexities behind AI standards, governance, copyrights and ownership and touches on AI’s power to enhance and provide efficiencies in our roles.

About Jonathan
As global head of digital for design firm Populous, Jonathan is integral in supporting the global holdings board through his development, evaluation and evolution of a technological vision and strategy to develop and enhance all digital services and products.

Co-presenting with Seyedomid Sajedi, Associate AI/ML Engineer of CORE Studio, Thornton Tomasetti

AI is fundamentally altering professional AEC workflows. Given the rapid advancement of AI model capabilities, it is essential to not only adapt but also strategically integrate this technology to not only optimize productivity but ensure competitive advantages. Alex Pollock and Omid Sajedi of Thornton Tomasetti’s CORE Studio are working the frontier where new tech ideas and practical use cases meet, and share their approach to innovation and R&D through their internal incubator. You learn how they are driving adoption of time-saving tools throughout the engineering giant’s global footprint, including the latest R&D findings of the CORE.AI team, focusing on the development of AI-driven tools. Get the best ideas for transforming AEC processes, to enhance creativity and problem-solving through rapid optioneering.

About Alexandra
Alexandra is the Senior Director of CORE Studio at Thornton Tomasetti. With a focus on research and development, CORE Studio is the firm’s virtual incubator of ideas and provides a valuable interface among design and construction teams, developing new workflows and processes that promote collaboration and enhance building design. A registered Architect and technologist with 20 years of experience in the AEC industry, Alexandra has contributed to a diverse range of projects, from small-scale renovations to super-tall towers, while also providing strategic leadership for both existing and emerging technologies.  She is currently serving on the Virginia Tech School of Architecture Advisory Board and is on the leadership committee for the AIA TAP (Technology in Architecture Practice) knowledge community.

Fostering a culture of innovation within your AEC firm is critical for remaining competitive. Britany explains how multi-disciplinary design firm HFA successfully uses internal AI competition to inspire creativity, engage employees, and accelerate technological advancements. By challenging teams across the enterprise to solve real-world business problems using AI, they tapped into diverse skill sets, nurtured a collaborative spirit, and developed cutting-edge solutions that directly impacted our enterprise. This session explains the strategic planning and execution of the competition, the tools and frameworks used to ensure accessibility and fairness, and the measurable outcomes achieved, including increased employee engagement, cross-functional collaboration, and operational efficiencies. We will also share lessons learned, such as managing diverse skill levels and aligning AI initiatives with business goals, to help attendees replicate our success. Whether you're a leader, innovator, or technologist, this presentation will provide actionable insights into how structured competitions can be a powerful tool for driving innovation, reskilling your workforce, and creating transformative value.

• Understand how internal AI competitions can foster a culture of innovation within enterprises.
• Learn strategies to plan and execute an inclusive, effective AI competition aligned with business goals.
• Explore methods to integrate AI-based solutions from competitions into business operations.
• Discover ways to engage employees and build cross-functional collaboration through gamification.
• Gain insights into overcoming challenges, such as skill gaps and project sustainability, in AI-focused initiatives.

About Brittany
With a Master of Architecture and nearly two decades in the AEC industry, Brittany is a forward-thinking leader specializing in Design Technology, Business Technology, and Operational processes. As Director of Operations at HFA, she co-leads initiatives to integrate technology and efficiency into every facet of the business. Brittany oversees the Design Technology team, driving advancements in BIM and Visualization standards, automation, and custom workflows. She also collaborates across the enterprise to implement innovative solutions that directly enhance operational processes and organizational impact. Brittany established HFA's first technology-focused community of practice, uniting over 50 rising leaders to foster cross-disciplinary knowledge exchange. Her dedication to innovation and collaboration continues to transform team dynamics, demonstrating how technology and empowered people can shape a more efficient and connected future.

AEC leaders face a pressing challenge: improving productivity in a sector often criticized for lagging behind other industries. While finance, healthcare, and tech have embraced historical data as a core part of decision-making processes, we have yet to unlock the full potential of our archived knowledge. Every firm is sitting on a goldmine of historical data, stored in digital folders, archives, or past project files. This session explores how tapping into this untapped resource can enable firms to make better data-driven decisions, streamline operations, and gain a competitive edge. Drawing parallels with industries like computer science—where open-source projects, APIs, and data inform every decision—we’ll examine practical strategies for using historical project data to reduce inefficiencies, identify patterns, and drive better outcomes. By harnessing data already at your disposal, you can transform decision-making, optimize workflows, and increase profitability. It’s time for the AEC industry to embrace the power of data and become a productivity leader.

About Manoj

Manoj is the CEO and Founder of struct.digital, a company focused on empowering the structural engineering and broader AEC industry with software and AI-driven solutions. With hands-on experience working on high-profile projects in London, he has seen first-hand how inefficiencies in traditional workflows can hinder progress and has developed a deep understanding of how historical data and cutting-edge technology can drive meaningful change. Manoj is passionate about helping AEC firms unlock untapped potential through smarter, data-driven strategies.

Co-Presenting with Alexandra Pollock, AIA, Senior Director of CORE Studio, Thornton Tomasetti

AI is fundamentally altering professional AEC workflows. Given the rapid advancement of AI model capabilities, it is essential to not only adapt but also strategically integrate this technology to not only optimize productivity but ensure competitive advantages. Alex Pollock and Omid Sajedi of Thornton Tomasetti’s CORE Studio are working the frontier where new tech ideas and practical use cases meet, and share their approach to innovation and R&D through their internal incubator. You learn how they are driving adoption of time-saving tools throughout the engineering giant’s global footprint, including the latest R&D findings of the CORE.AI team, focusing on the development of AI-driven tools. Get the best ideas for transforming AEC processes, to enhance creativity and problem-solving through rapid optioneering.

About Seyedomid:
Seyedomid Sajedi is an Associate AI/ML Engineer at CORE Studio, Thornton Tomasetti, where he studies and creates AI-powered applications for the AEC industry. Prior to joining CORE Studio, Sajedi worked as a structural engineer and later pursued his Ph.D. in earthquake and structural engineering at the University at Buffalo SUNY. During his doctoral studies., Sajedi did research on autonomous structural health monitoring with a particular emphasis on the safe integration of AI in engineering workflows. Apart from contributing to CORE.AI's structural design engines, Sajedi has experience designing custom deep learning architectures in the areas of computer vision, vibration analysis, and natural language processing to support different practices at Thornton Tomasetti.

Each AEC project brings its unique set of challenges with varying team compositions, from developers to architects and various internal stakeholders. Traditionally, insights into how much time staff spent on specific design tasks was anecdotal and subjective. This presents a challenge in optimizing productivity, we are often left to make decisions on a hunch rather than hard data. This approach leaves missed opportunities for process optimization and misallocated training efforts. The software engineers at JB&B developed a solution that leverages artificial intelligence to systematically capture and analyze user interactions within Autodesk Revit. This add-in tracks detailed user activities, including workspace usage, element handling, and project-specific interactions. By aggregating this data, they developed a sophisticated AI model that not only categorizes and clusters these interactions into distinct processes but also predicts efficiency and production rates. More critically, this model identifies anomalies in production—instances where a user's output deviates significantly from their peers on similar projects—which could indicate areas needing intervention. In this session, you:

• Understand the importance of tracking user interactions within design applications to identify patterns and improve workflow efficiency.
• Learn how to segment and classify user transactions into different processes based on the tasks performed in various project stages.
• Explore the application of AI models to predict productivity with multi-dimensional project constraints.
• Identify anomalies in user design patterns and learn how to leverage this data to provide actionable insights for improving performance, live.
• Discover how to utilize data-driven insights to roadmap the production of automation tools and user specific training modules.

About Mike Taglione

Mike’s passion is in transforming the built space. As an Electrical Engineer at JB&B Engineering, he is also pioneering new tech as a cofounder of Thrux, an MEP design environment. Most recently, he leads all development projects at JB&B, working to transform a technologically underserved industry by mastering the complexities of driving adoption in a fragmented landscape. He is a builder at heart and his driving motivation stems from an excitement to take part in a foundational decade for the new era of AEC technology.

AI is poised to transform the AEC industry by eliminating tedious processes and boosting productivity, but you've got to prepare your firm. Sean Young of NVIDIA's AEC initiative discusses new AI solutions for planning, design, and AEC firm operations, with a deeper dive into your firm’s AI training for leveraging uses of Fine Tuning, RAG, Inference, Generative AI, Data Science, and NeRF. He also shows us how to use a Digital Twin for aggregating AI data, training synthetic data, and simulating projects before deployment in the real world.

About Sean
Sean is Director of AECO, Geospatial, and AI Solutions Industry Marketing at NVIDIA. Sean has 25 years of 3D visualization and simulation experience in AEC, Automotive, and Manufacturing. He has been deeply involved in software and hardware technologies that shaped the AEC visualization industry. Prior to his current role Sean led Omniverse sales at NVIDIA, AEC business development at HP, and 3ds Max product management at Autodesk.

Your challenge as an AEC firm leader is not just to keep pace with technology but to redefine how your tech and your talent will co-exist in an AI-driven work environment. This isn't just about surviving the changes but creating workplaces prioritizing well-being, innovation, and a sense of purpose. As AI reshapes our lives and work, we have a unique opportunity to adapt and thrive together, embracing these changes while ensuring the human element remains at the heart of AEC project execution. In her timely keynote, Dr. Sam Zolfagharian explores the future of work in AEC, offering practical insights and inspiration for how people and technology can work together to succeed in the era of AI. You learn how to:

• Navigate and alleviate your employees’ fear of being replaced by AI.
• Develop strategies to attract and retain your top talent in the era of AI.
• Move from traditional workflows to AI-augmented workflows that enhance productivity and creativity.
• Integrate AI tools in ways that keep teamwork, creativity, and the human element at the heart of your organization and projects.
• Create workplaces prioritizing employees' well-being, innovation, and purpose to foster engagement and resilience in the AI era.

Join us to explore the coming shift from traditional work models to a future where AI handles routine tasks, enabling AEC firms to unlock the full potential of their talent. This transition frees individuals to focus on creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking, skills that are uniquely human and invaluable in the workplace of tomorrow. The discussion will emphasize how nurturing these qualities can enhance talent retention, attract top talent, and maximize your employees' contributions. By building workplaces where designers, architects, engineers, and project managers are valued for their unique contributions rather than just the hours they log, we can create a future that’s both technologically advanced and deeply fulfilling for everyone.