AI Isn’t Taking Jobs—It’s Unlocking Better Infrastructure Decisions

By Chris MacDonald, President – CPM Pipelines

Across the water and wastewater industry, one question continues to surface: How will artificial intelligence change pressure pipe inspection and rehabilitation?

Much of the concern is rooted in the idea that automation will replace people. But in the pressure pipe world—defined by complex terrain, variable hydraulics, buried utilities, aging materials, and strict regulatory constraints—there are very few tasks that can be reduced to simple automation. The reality is quite the opposite. AI is not replacing expertise; it is enabling more of it.

Less Time on Admin, More Time on Engineering Judgment

One of the most immediate benefits of AI is the reduction of routine administrative work. Drafting correspondence, organizing inspection summaries, building presentations, and preparing outreach materials once consumed hours of valuable staff time. Today, those same tasks can be completed in minutes.

This shift allows engineers, project managers, and technical specialists to focus on higher-value work: interpreting inspection data, evaluating rehabilitation options, coordinating early with municipalities, identifying high-risk pipeline segments, and refining complex bypass and sequencing plans.

Importantly, the field work remains entirely hands-on and irreplaceable. Technicians still deploy Acquarius™ and Piper® inspection tools, perform ultrasonic testing (UT) grid inspections, and complete BulletLiner® installations. AI does not replace these efforts—it enhances planning, documentation, and communication so more projects can move forward efficiently and with confidence.

Closing the Knowledge Gap for Asset Owners

A longstanding challenge in the pressure pipe industry has been education. While many agencies are familiar with gravity sewer inspection and traditional CIPP, pressure pipe assessment and rehabilitation remain less understood.

AI helps bridge this gap by enabling experts to quickly develop accurate, tailored educational materials—technical briefs, visual comparisons, animations, and concise case study summaries. When expert knowledge is paired with AI-driven clarity, asset owners gain a better understanding of their options earlier in the planning process.

The result is tangible: more projects move beyond preliminary discussions and into active inspection, design, and rehabilitation.

Challenging Outdated Assumptions

AI also plays a critical role in reshaping long-held assumptions. Many owners still believe certain pipelines cannot be inspected without shutdowns or that full replacement is the only viable solution.

With AI-supported modeling and communication tools, those assumptions can be challenged and tested. Owners can clearly see alternatives such as high-resolution UT inspections without major service disruptions, long-distance non-intrusive Piper screening, close-fit FFRP rehabilitation, or targeted hybrid approaches.

When these options are presented clearly and credibly, agencies are empowered to make more informed, cost-effective, and lower-risk decisions.

Expanding Reach, Creating More Work

Perhaps the most significant impact of AI is its ability to amplify industry reach. Messaging, case studies, and technical resources can now be delivered at a national scale, expanding awareness among agencies facing aging pressure pipe infrastructure.

This expansion does not eliminate jobs—it creates them. Increased awareness leads to more inspections, more rehabilitation designs, more installations, and more long-term monitoring programs. AI accelerates opportunity rather than replacing labor.

Elevating Expertise, Not Replacing It

AI is not making infrastructure professionals obsolete. It is making their work more understandable, more accessible, and more impactful. By elevating expertise, accelerating decision-making, and expanding awareness, AI is helping the industry address critical buried infrastructure challenges more effectively than ever before.

In pressure pipe inspection and rehabilitation, the future isn’t automated—it’s informed.

If AI could help you better understand your pipeline risks and options earlier, how would that change your capital planning decisions?