High-Profile: September 2026 | Page 46

46 September 2026

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By Edward Gould

For facility managers overseeing colleges, universities, and K-12 schools, maintaining uninterrupted power is critical. An unexpected electrical failure in a residence hall, research lab, or classroom building can disrupt learning, compromise safety, and cause costly emergency repairs.

Infrared thermography, commonly known as thermal imaging, offers school facility teams a non-invasive way to detect electrical issues before they lead to unplanned outages.

Detecting Hidden Hazards Under Load

Thermal imaging cameras detect infrared radiation, converting temperature variations into visual heat maps. Because

Washington, DC— The ACEC Research Institute has released“ Leading Through AI Risk: The Enterprise Framework for Engineering Firm Leaders,” a study finding that the most significant risks artificial intelligence poses to engineering firms are organizational rather than technological, and that firms treating AI primarily as an IT initiative may be managing the wrong issue.

Part of the Institute’ s yearslong Firm of the Future initiative, the report combines a literature review with interviews of 21 leaders from engineering firms, public infrastructure owners, technology vendors, insurance and legal professions, licensing and regulatory agencies, and AI consulting.

The report identifies eight interconnected areas of AI risk, spanning technical reliability, professional liability, data governance, workforce, ethics and regulation, cybersecurity, financial considerations, and enterprise governance. Strategic leadership serves as the integrating domain through which firms can coordinate responsible AI adoption.

“ The most important takeaway from this report is that AI readiness is ultimately a leadership issue,” said Daphne Bryant, executive director of the ACEC Research Institute.“ The technology will continue to evolve, but the fundamentals of responsible engineering stay the same. Firms that succeed will be those that pair innovation with strong governance,

excessive heat is often the first indicator of electrical stress, certified thermographers use these cameras as part of a routine preventive maintenance program across campus facilities.

During a scan, electricians evaluate circuit breakers, distribution panels, and transformers to identify loose wire connections, overloaded circuits, or internal contact degradation. Detecting these hotspots early allows maintenance teams to address minor mechanical or electrical faults before they cause equipment failure or fire hazards.

Minimizing Disruption to Campus Operations

Traditional electrical inspections often require shutting down power to safely open equipment and test connections. Shutting down distribution panels in an active academic building or dining facility just isn’ t practical during the school year.

Thermal imaging inspections are performed while equipment operates under normal load. Power remains on during testing, preventing disruptions to

preserve engineering judgment, and make conscious choices about how AI supports their people and their responsibility to clients and the public.”

Governance Must Keep Pace with Technology

The report argues that AI is not simply another engineering software tool. It can influence technical analysis, project delivery, client service, hiring, mentoring, pricing and strategy. While firms often focus on which tools to adopt, the more consequential question may be whether the organization is prepared to govern their use.

Participants broadly agreed that AI will not eliminate the need for engineers, but raised concerns about how it could affect professional development. Tasks traditionally used to build technical judgment— including calculations, drawing reviews, standards research and classes, campus housing, or administrative functions. The technology also provides real-time visual documentation, giving facility managers clear data to prioritize summer improvement projects or targeted off-hour repairs.

Extending Equipment Lifespan

Recent technology upgrades, including higher-resolution sensors and digital reporting tools, allow electricians to diagnose system health quickly and accurately. Following any corrective

documentation— are among those AI is positioned to absorb. Firms therefore may need to rethink how younger engineers develop the judgment traditionally gained through experience.

Knowledge management presents another challenge. AI systems depend on the information available to them, but much of a firm’ s institutional expertise may never have been documented. Participants cited capturing that knowledge before retirement and employee turnover as an increasingly important organizational priority.

Rethinking AI Risk

While public discussion about AI has frequently centered on hallucinations, cybersecurity and model accuracy, interview participants generally did not identify those issues as the engineering industry’ s greatest vulnerability.

“ Reliable AI depends upon reliable organizations,” the report states.“ AI

IESC Thermal Imaging

maintenance, technicians rescan the equipment to confirm the issue is resolved and verify balanced load distribution.

Integrating routine thermal inspections into annual campus maintenance helps school facility teams extend the operating life of major electrical infrastructure, control repair costs, and maintain safe, reliable power across campus.

Edward Gould is the operations center production area manager at Interstate Electrical Services Corporation.

reliability is not determined solely by the technology itself. It depends on trusted data, disciplined governance, robust quality assurance, and sound engineering judgment.”

Legal and insurance participants reached a similar conclusion regarding liability. According to the report, exposure occurs when organizations fail to exercise reasonable professional care— for example, when inaccurate AI-generated information influences an engineering decision without adequate review.

The study also found considerable agreement among engineering leaders, owners, technology providers, insurers, attorneys, regulators and AI experts. Despite approaching AI from different perspectives, participants repeatedly identified organizational preparedness and governance as central concerns.

At the same time, several participants warned of the opposite risk: failing to adapt as clients, competitors, technology providers and infrastructure owners increasingly adopt AI-enabled ways of working.

The report concludes that AI does not diminish the engineering industry’ s responsibilities, but instead raises expectations for governance, engineering judgment and organizational leadership.

“ Artificial intelligence will undoubtedly reshape how engineering firms work,” the report states.“ It should never redefine why they exist.”