generative AI is now capable of combining data from Bentley Systems’ existing tools to suggest climate-resilient designs, Moutte said.

For instance, large language models can ingest data sources including structural analyses, building codes, laws of physics, climate conditions, and the effects of new, more sustainable building materials on infrastructure design.

But AI’s high cost, need for specialized talent, and legal and privacy risks have stymied attempts to fully realize that promise, with many businesses cautious of moving beyond early experimentation.

Expedia’s competitive advantage is the roughly 70 petabytes of data it has on customer booking patterns, preferences and other information, said Rathi Murthy, the company’s chief technology officer. The company recently completed a multiyear technology overhaul to connect its data sources and power its machine-learning systems. Its chatbot is powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

“Now, we can truly connect all of this with large language models, and drive that through personalization in a much more proactive manner than we could in the past,” she said.