Five Ways Artificial Intelligence Is Going to Shape the Future of Water and Resilient Infrastructure

For quite some time we’ve been aware of artificial intelligence, commonly known as AI. But for most of us, AI was limited to fantastic science fiction tales in the movies or large-scale experiments conducted by scientists and engineers.  

Certainly, who thought it would be something of significance that would directly touch our daily lives. Right?  

Recently there has been a shift in that perception, with a surge in popularity among individuals and organizations discovering ways to utilize AI in one form or another to benefit daily life. 

While AI and machine learning (ML) were well-established within the technology industry, those enterprise tools were perceived as premium products only. Publicly available AI tools have been on the rise in recent years, gaining immense popularity across various industries.  

From infrastructure to finance, and marketing to logistics, AI is revolutionizing the way businesses operate and interact with customers. And as we observe World Water Day on March 22, we see the tremendous need for education and a cohesive vision to ensure water security for all. 

The release of powerful and publicly available tools like ChatGPT, DALLE and Midjourney have showcased emerging possibilities for AI. It’s no longer limited to classic pattern recognition — AI can break barriers and expand its “creativity” by producing texts or generating images using simple text as input similar to human-like conversation — although fact-checking is a must. 

The exponential growth of data plays a critical role for AI’s success. In today’s world, data is being generated at an unprecedented rate — a trend that is going to continue across the globe.

Another significant driver of the recent rise in AI is the growing availability of cloud computing. Cloud-based platforms allow a flexible and cost-effective way to access the computational power required to run large AI algorithms.

The current status of infrastructure in the U.S. has been the focus of discussions in recent years. The $1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (previously known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) puts special focus on water related infrastructure.

The need to invest in infrastructure is becoming increasingly pressing, particularly in the face of climate change. Extreme weather events including flooding and sea level rise are putting our infrastructure at risk, and without significant investment, many communities will be left vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This includes not only the risk of damage to infrastructure during extreme weather events, but also the increased costs of maintaining and operating infrastructure in a changing climate.

AI and emerging technologies will play a key role in these efforts. Beyond just using typical pattern recognition or finding trends from historical data, AI has a lot to offer that will redefine the future of water infrastructure planning and management.

Here are five ways AI is going to change the future of water and infrastructure in the U.S. and around the globe:

1. Predictive Maintenance for Water Supply

AI can help predict equipment failures and maintenance needs, leading to improved uptime and reduced downtime. A number of local municipalities and agencies across the U.S. have implemented AI systems that detect potential equipment failures in real time, allowing maintenance teams to address issues before they cause a problem.

2. Future Flood Risk Prediction

Mother Nature can be extremely complex when it comes to flooding. The classical practice of future flood risk determination was based upon “past performance” or historical data.

AI has added new dimension to future flood risk detection for complex predictive modeling. Numerous pilot studies are being conducted nationwide where the AI can “learn” using previously completed modeling instead of just historical data and “predict” the flood risk for more complex areas with multiple risk factors. This allows the authority in charge to take preemptive measures to protect its infrastructure and citizens by helping mitigate flooding impact.

3. Water Quality

AI can analyze future water quality patterns using similar results and data from sensors to identify changes in water quality, which can be indicative of contamination or other issues. This enables the local agency to have preplanned action plans ready to respond to issues such as harmful algae blooms or other contaminants.

4. Sustainability and Energy Optimization

AI can optimize energy usage in water treatment and distribution, reducing costs and carbon emissions.

Water treatment and distribution require significant amounts of energy, making them an ideal candidate for optimization through the use of AI. AI can be utilized for predicting future demand in treatment and distribution network by analyzing historical water usage patterns. AI can also be used to optimize the distribution network itself.

By analyzing flow rates, pressure, and other data, AI can identify areas of the network that are over- or underutilized. This can serve as a decision support system to adjust the network and ensure that water is distributed efficiently, reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.

5. Asset and Water Resource Management

AI can help manage and prioritize infrastructure assets, ensuring their proper maintenance and replacement. It can also help conserve water by optimizing irrigation and reducing wastage.

The lack of data in many areas/sectors, and initial cost/benefit and adaptation for these AI technologies will be a major challenge. However, despite these challenges, now is the time to harness the power of AI with an open mind.

There is no doubt that AI is going to transform the water and infrastructure industry in a multitude of ways, from improving water resource management to addressing issues of climate and flood resiliency, AI has the potential to address many of the industry's most pressing challenges. 

As technology continues to advance, we can expect to see even more innovative solutions emerge to help ensure a sustainable and efficient future for our water and infrastructure systems. WSP is currently involved in several innovative pilot projects for future flood risk assessment, the findings of which will be used in the future to train AI/ML based algorithms. 

Based in Dallas, Rifat Alam is an assistant vice president and Texas water resources business lead for WSP USA. He is a licensed professional engineer and certified floodplain manager with experience on large-scale civil infrastructure and water resources projects.