Leaders from academia, industry, and government gather to chart the future of AI in infrastructure and civil systems
Civil engineers, researchers, and industry leaders from across the country gathered at the University of Utah on September 19, 2025, for the ASCE Center for Technical Advancement (CTA) AI Task Force Workshop. Chaired by Dr. Guohui Zhang and co-hosted locally by University of Utah’s Dr. Chenxi Liu and Dr. Cathy Liu, the workshop focused on building strategies, standards, and ethical frameworks for integrating artificial intelligence into civil engineering.
The CTA AI Task Force was established to address urgent needs in setting strategies, ethical standards, and collaborative frameworks for AI adoption in civil engineering. Held in the Marriott library on campus, the workshop marked an important step in advancing the responsible integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into civil engineering practices. The workshop convened leaders from academia, industry, and government to develop guidelines and best practices that prioritize safety, transparency, and equity while accelerating AI applications in infrastructure, transportation, smart cities, and climate resilience.
Dr. Tong Qiu, CvEEN Department Chair, welcoming members of the task force.
Three Civil & Environmental Engineering (CvEEN) faculty played a key role in hosting the event, with Professors Chenxi Liu and Cathy Liu serving as workshop co-chairs, and CvEEN Department Chair Dr. Tong Qiu as a featured speaker. Other noted speakers included Ms. Eva Lerner-Lam, NAE, Dist.M.ASCE, F.ITE, M.SAE, who presented Creative Thinking in AI Application, and Dr. Yinhai Wang, who closed out the workshop with words of encouragement for the future of the CTA AI Task Force.
In addition to technical sessions, participants enjoyed a campus and CvEEN department tour, highlighting the University of Utah’s leadership in innovation and collaboration. CvEEN is grateful for the support of ASCE, with special thanks to Dustin Yang and Brian Sien, in making the workshop a success.
CvEEN Assistant Professor Chenxi Liu at the AI Task Force Workshop.
Participants touring the CvEEN Department.
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