Planning Companion News 15/03/2023 by Andy
I’ve been using Bing’s new AI interface for a variety of things lately: asking bus times, restaurant locations, advice on the meaning of life, writing copy for this website… All pretty mediocre stuff, but still, my mind is blown. I talk to it like it’s human, and it answers intelligently. Has humanity ever been able to talk to ‘another intelligence’ like this? I think not. Even Google Assistant seems antiquated now, and although I talk to my dog, Barbara, as though she’s human, I always get the same sideways look, like I’m the one that’s stupid!
Bing-AI’s genetic parent, ChatGPT, is already being used by over 100 million people and is even more mind blowing. Our conversations are fluid. I can argue and challenge, and conversations evolve as we learn. The interactions are so human I began to ascribe ChatGPT with identity; it became someone, like a Marvin or a C3PO.
AI designed street-scenes generated from the following text: ‘…a tree lined street with houses built from granite walls and slate roofs, a few people walking, some people cycling, cars and buses’
Feeling slightly overwhelmed, the big question is: where next? So naturally (unnaturally?) I asked Bing-AI.
How will AI in the future be used to influence town planning and democratic decision making?
This was their answer:
AI is a broad term that refers to various methods and techniques that enable machines to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence.
AI can be used in planning to help analyze data, optimize solutions, simulate scenarios, and automate processes.1
Some examples of how AI can be used to influence town planning and decision making are:
- In Milton Keynes, UK, AI could be regularly making planning decisions within a year as part of a three-strand AI initiative that is in the process of being rolled out. The initiative aims to use AI to streamline planning applications, improve public engagement, and enhance urban design.2
- AI is being used to support urban planning through tools such as Virtual Singapore, which is a 3D digital model of the city that integrates various data sources and allows planners to test different scenarios and outcomes.3
- AI can help analyse data on housing demand and supply to identify areas where there is a high demand for housing. This can help developers and policymakers plan and prioritize housing projects that meet the needs of different segments of the population.4
AI clearly has the potential to improve planning efficiency, effectiveness, and equity by providing more data-driven insights and solutions. However, there are also challenges and risks associated with using AI in planning such as ethical issues, transparency issues, data quality issues, and human-AI interaction issues.
Therefore, it is important to develop and test pilot AI-related planning applications carefully and pay special attention to equitable deployment of these AI methods.1
Not a bad answer! I hardly needed to lift a finger, and this blog post was written, also with AI generating some of the images. Of course, it’s well reported that AI results still need to be fact checked for misinformation. However, for me, this just makes the technology even more human-like!
AI’s use has also recently been seen as a government priority with £900 million funding towards the UK’s first exascale supercomputer within the 2023 Spring Budget.
Exascale supercomputers are the fastest computers in the world. They can be used to analyse massive volumes of data and simulate complex processes and relationships. The world’s first exascale computer, called Frontier, was created in the USA in June 2022. The first European exascale supercomputer, JUPITER, will be operational by 2024 and used to analyse key societal issues in Europe, such as health, biology, climate, energy, security, and materials. It will also support intensive use of AI to analysis the enormous data volumes.
Bing-AI’s provided the footnote links, so feel free to explore and leave any comments.
