Infrastructure is far more sophisticated than is ordinarily appreciated. Telecom companies are building out infrastructure in ways the public barely understands. Complexity grows. Yet today, infrastructure is poised for a transformative shift never seen before on earth and, in many ways, even beyond our imagination. Artificial intelligence has roiled other industries at an earlier stage, as have automation, digitization, and innovations too numerous to mention. Infrastructure, however, will bring a transformation that will affect every person in every walk of life, every day, and in multiple ways. Clean water, food, energy, electricity, transportation, telecom, sanitation, and necessities and conveniences will all be caught up in the sweeping transformation. Security issues will escalate. Efficiency will be balanced by redundancy. Old economic structures will teeter and die. For many people, the transformation will be dazzling, confusing, or disorienting. For engineers, they will need to consider the most important values of people who are vulnerable to such changes and plan, design, and build infrastructure that meets a higher code of conduct. Engineering societies are keenly aware of this responsibility. Their enlightened leaders are stepping up to the challenge. Their decisions, along with the governments and stakeholders who work with them, will be world- changing.
