What civil engineers are reading this week

• Beware of the seductive power of AI to do work that could cross ethical boundaries

  Artificlal intelligence has the potential to revolutionize civil engineering, but with new technologies come new questions of ethics. IBM tried training AI to aid cancer treatments and lost $4 billion.

• Innovative approach allows city to rehabilitate deteriorating utility lines

  Cutting-edge technologies reduced the multimillion-dollar costs and timelines associated with extensive excavation projects and preserved charm and accessibility in Leavenworth, Washington.

• Ancient floods reveal today’s extremes aren’t the worst we’ve faced

  Geological paleo-flood records of extreme flooding events in Western Europe over several thousand years reveal that many historical floods were more severe than those of recent decades.

• Safeguarding our health care facilities is a must; here’s how one project accomplished it

  Metropolitan Hospital, which is one block from the East River in New York City, was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Its new flood walls, floodgates, and stormwater detention system bolster safety.

• DOT finalizes grant funding for Rhode Island’s Washington Bridge

  The U.S. Department of Transportation has executed a $221 million federal funding award for the project.

• The economic loss doctrine – where it applies – is a rather imperfect legal shield

  For geotechnical engineers facing legal risk, the doctrine can protect against third-party claims in states where they exist, but it's not easily applied. Here’s how a New Jersey case unfolded.