How AI can drive an advantage in transport and infrastructure

1. AI is revolutionizing project planning and delivery.

The need for global net zero is immense, with Ernst & Young (LLP) and the Fédération Internationale Des Ingénieurs-Conseils (FIDIC) estimating that world governments and the private sector need to invest nearly $140 trillion by 2050, with $64 trillion currently unfunded. Government spending capacity is constrained, as seen by the debt-to-GDP ratios in OECD countries reaching 83% by late 2023, up 30% since 2008. With limited resources, governments will likely struggle to shoulder the costs for decarbonization, maintenance, renewal of aging infrastructure, and enhancement of transport networks.

Spending alone will not solve this problem. We need to reshape project planning and redesign delivery to be more efficient, sustainable, and safe. AI-powered technologies can support this by optimizing planning, design, construction, asset management, and operations. At EY, we are excited by the transformative effect AI is already having on transport and infrastructure and the enormous potential the technology offers going forward. Together with NVIDIA, we are exploring the vast capabilities of AI, helping organizations reshape their futures, retaining humans at the center while deploying innovation at scale.

2. AI is driving predictive maintenance and efficient traffic management.

Maintaining and renewing aging infrastructure is a significant challenge for governments with limited resources. AI can improve maintenance efficiency through predictive analysis. By accurately identifying areas in need of maintenance, predicting potential issues before they arise, and prioritizing repairs, AI helps extend the lifespan of infrastructure assets and ensures that public funds are utilized more effectively.

EY is bolstering the use of AI for comprehensive road condition assessments and roadside infrastructure surveys. By deploying advanced image recognition and machine learning techniques, the system can accurately identify areas in need of maintenance, predict potential issues before they arise, and prioritize repairs. This extends the lifespan of infrastructure assets and ensures that public funds are utilized more effectively.

Traffic congestion and incident response on highways are critical for ensuring efficient and safe transport networks. EY pilot programs utilizing NVIDIA vision language models (VLMs) and the NVIDIA AI blueprint for video search and summarization have demonstrated significant advancements in traffic control and incident response on highways. By integrating AI-driven analytics with real-time data, visual AI agents can predict traffic congestion, detect accidents, and optimize traffic signals to reduce response times and improve overall traffic flow. This proactive approach not only enhances the efficiency of highway management but also ensures a safer travel experience for all road users.

3. AI is enhancing public safety and security measures.

Ensuring public safety and security in transport and infrastructure is a complex task. AI models can process vast amounts of data from various sources to identify risks, track vehicles of interest, and aid in investigations. This provides actionable insights to prevent and respond to potential threats promptly.

Agentic AI is one area that appears particularly promising. This highly deployable form of automation technology is already transforming how companies and public agencies operate, with an impressive 98% reduction in costs. This technology utilizes a new generation of reasoning models to plan next steps, making it possible to design AI agents that can think, act, and collaborate. These agents, which developers can build, customize, and deploy using NVIDIA AI Blueprints, can navigate the messy reality of how businesses create value for customers in a dynamic environment full of new opportunities and unpredictable challenges. Not only does this make more complex tasks achievable, but it also reduces energy consumption and compute costs at the same time, making it an ideal tool for the built environment sector intent on continuous optimization.

Conclusion

As we continue to explore the vast capabilities of AI, EY remains dedicated to advancing these technologies responsibly, with a focus on human welfare and societal progress. By focusing on optimizing project planning and delivery, enhancing maintenance and traffic management, and improving public safety and security, AI is presenting practical solutions for the challenges faced by the transport and infrastructure sectors.

You can learn more about EY’s collaboration with NVIDIA here. Explore some of the latest news on visual AI agents from NVIDIA here.