GENERATIVE AI:An Existential Threat or Extraordinary Opportunity for Geoprofessionals?

Interest in artificial intelligence within geotechnical engineering has accelerated sharply. The research community’s interest mirrors this trend: a Scopus query of “artificial intelligence,” “machine learning,” “large language models,” and “generative AI,” combined with “geotechnical” or “soil mechanics,” shows two clear inflection points (Figure 1). The first, in 2018-2019, aligned with the rise of deep learning and the democratization of data science and computer programming skills through massive open online courses, an online course of study that’s open to an unlimited number of participants. The second, beginning in late 2022 and accelerating through 2023, coincided with widespread adoption of chat-based AI systems. By October 2025, the annual publication count reached 554, indicating broad engagement and signaling that industry adoption will likely follow academic exploration.