Artificial intelligence and building design

By Marianne Lyons Delorey, Ph.D.

“We become what we behold. We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us.” 

– Marshall McLuhan

The year is 2040. I am now living in a retirement community. Technology has advanced so much that the building’s computer system tracks everything I do. I wake up in the morning; the computer notes the time and the quality of my sleep. I go to the bathroom and my output is measured. I walk down to the dining room for breakfast and the sensors log my input – how much liquid and how many calories. Estimates are taken for the level of each macronutrient and micronutrient.

After breakfast, the sensors measure my steps and my whereabouts. Late morning, a nurse approaches and inquires about my well-being. I say I feel off but am not sure why. The nurse notes that the building computer flagged me since I did not sleep well and my water intake was very low. I am sent for testing and sure enough, I have a urinary tract infection. I get the appropriate medications before I even knew what was going on.

Although this seems futuristic, we already wear bracelets and rings that track our sleep, take our blood pressure, and pulse, and wear sensors that monitor our blood sugar. The major difference in this scenario is that the equipment is built into the design of the building.