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How Smart Lighting Is Becoming a Digital Layer of Campus Infrastructure by Sean Grasby

William Attardi on October 8, 2026

Lighting is no longer a basic building system—it’s part of a building’s digital infrastructure. Here’s what you need to know about evaluating lighting upgrades as part of a modernization.

Key Highlights

  • Lighting is evolving from a simple building system to a key digital infrastructure layer that supports electrification, ESG reporting, and smarter campus operations.
  • Modern lighting enhances safety by improving visibility in high-traffic areas and supports security measures, while also creating adaptable learning environments with adjustable controls.
  • Integrated sensors and smart controls enable predictive maintenance, energy optimization, and remote management, reducing operational costs and resource use.
  • Retrofitting projects, like the university case study, show substantial savings and environmental benefits, emphasizing the importance of strategic planning and audits.
  • Starting with a campus lighting audit helps identify priorities, safety concerns, and integration opportunities, guiding investments that deliver long-term value.

Beyond Energy Savings: How Smart Lighting Is Becoming a Digital Layer of Campus Infrastructure | Buildings

Leverage AI to Overcome Data Chaos and Optimize Facility Operations by David Homola

William Attardi on October 2, 2026

Buildings’ operational data is often contained in multiple places that don’t talk to each other, which prevents facilities teams from using them to optimize operations. Here’s how you can clean up the chaos. Key Highlights

  • Data fragmentation and inconsistent documentation hinder AI’s ability to provide accurate insights in facility management.
  • AI enhances operational efficiency by automating data retrieval, surfacing recurring issues, and supporting proactive decision-making.
  • Standardizing data collection—categories, locations, and outcomes—is essential for AI to function effectively and build trust in automated insights.
  • Creating AI-ready facilities involves disciplined workflows, shared digital resources, and clear naming conventions to ensure data quality.
  • Implementing structured digital processes today prepares facility teams to leverage AI for predictive maintenance, compliance, and strategic planning in the future.

Leverage AI to Overcome Data Chaos and Optimize Facility Operations | Buildings

The AI Build-Out Is Becoming the Biggest Economic Bet in U.S. History by Konrad Putzier and Justin Lahart

William Attardi on September 28, 2026

 The AI build-out is on track to become the biggest economic bet in U.S. history, dwarfing the investments made to fund other huge U.S. infrastructure projects such as the railroads, the highway system and the plumbing for the internet. Total investment in data centers and related artificial-intelligence infrastructure is projected to total $10.3 trillion from 2025 to 2032, according to new estimates by economist Stijn van Nieuwerburgh published by the Brookings Institution. That is a staggering 3.6% of gross domestic product a year, on average. Never before has the U.S. economy been so dependent on the build-out of a single industry. The investment is transforming every corner of the economy, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and minting new billionaires. It is also creating significant risk, as much of it is built on debt. An abrupt slowdown could ignite shock waves throughout the U.S. economy.  The AI Build-Out Is Becoming the Biggest Economic Bet in U.S. History – WSJ 

Navigating the Journey to AI-Ready Buildings by Schneider Electric

William Attardi on September 28, 2026

This paper explores how AI systems can be implemented and operated in commercial buildings to address the significant challenges that facility managers and building owners face today and in the immediate future. It also considers the wide range of benefits and new opportunities presented by the adoption of AI-enabled technologies and platforms, as well as all the key requirements for implementing AI in commercial buildings and across real estate portfolios. Download the paper: Navigating the Journey to AI-Ready Buildings | Buildings

Maintenance Meets AI: A Proven Approach for Asset-Heavy Industries

William Attardi on September 26, 2026

Embedding the latest AI and technology within day-to-day operations is transforming maintenance from a cost center into a significant driver of value. I is rewriting an operational playbook that for decades has governed the way asset-heavy industries manage maintenance. New technology and approaches are advancing the frontier of what is possible in asset management, increasing efficiency at every step of the maintenance and reliability process and improving the availability of mission-critical equipment. The transformation opportunity is significant. Maintenance is one of the largest controllable cost buckets in manufacturing and capital-intensive organizations such as airlines, mining, energy, and rail. And with a direct impact on operational continuity, the maintenance function has a critical influence on revenue generation and customer experience. Every day that a critical piece of equipment is unavailable, or that an airplane can’t fly, can represent millions of dollars in revenue and production losses. AI-driven maintenance: An approach for asset-heavy industries | McKinsey

Deloitte: Manufacturers Could Use AI to Address Workforce Shortages

William Attardi on September 18, 2026

Artificial intelligence could expand the pool of qualified applicants, reimagine workflows, and supplement on-the-job training, study says.Artificial intelligence (AI) could help manufacturers address persistent workforce shortages by expanding the pool of qualified applicants, reimagining workflows, and supplementing on-the-job training, according to a study from Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute (MI). The study focuses on in-demand manufacturing technician roles and how embedding AI into new workflows could help deliver critical knowledge, skills, and guidance to a wider pool of workers in adjacent fields with similar skillsets. In fact, the analysis identifies nearly 2 million technicians in adjacent industries whose broad skills may be transferable to manufacturing. These workers could represent an important source of talent for manufacturers seeking to broaden pathways into technician roles and strengthen their workforce pipeline, and AI could play a crucial role. Deloitte: Manufacturers could use AI to address workforce shortages | DC Velocity

Expanding the Skilled Manufacturing Workforce with AI

William Attardi on September 11, 2026

AI could help US manufacturers address one of their most pressing workforce challenges: finding and developing more technicians. US manufacturing is increasingly defined by sophisticated, high-precision products that rely on advanced and interconnected production technologies, automation, and capital-intensive processes. In this new paradigm, multiskilled technicians with expertise across multiple technical domains, such as mechanical, electrical, and control systems, have become crucial enablers of operational success. At the same time, applicant shortages and skills gaps have made it difficult for manufacturers. Artificial intelligence could create a new opportunity to address these challenges. By embedding expertise directly into daily work, AI can help workers, including those with less experience and others transitioning from adjacent industries, develop and apply knowledge and skills in manufacturing roles, thereby broadening the technician talent pool. To explore this opportunity, Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute embarked on a study in May 2026 to map the technician ecosystem across manufacturing and adjacent industries and examine how generative and agentic AI could help reshape technician roles to improve business outcomes and enhance their appeal to current and future workers. The skilled manufacturing workforce and AI | Deloitte Insights

AI in Facilities Management: What Works, What Doesn’t, and Where to Start by Zac Wolf

William Attardi on September 9, 2026

Can artificial intelligence tools actually improve facility management? Yes—if they’re used correctly. Here’s what you need to know about this industry shift. There’s a persistent idea that the endgame for AI is complete autonomy, that the system eventually just runs itself, decisions included. That’s not where this is going, especially in facilities management. We’re not shifting from human to machine. We’re shifting from manual to augmented. Key Highlights

  • Most facilities teams are integrating AI as an enhancement to existing processes rather than replacing their systems entirely.
  • Effective AI use involves focusing on specific workflows with high volume and friction, testing small-scale solutions before expanding.
  • Data quality—accurate location, asset, provider, and work order information—is critical for AI to generate meaningful insights.
  • AI is a powerful assistant that supports human judgment, especially in context-sensitive decisions, rather than an autonomous decision-maker.
  • Layering AI into workflows where breakdowns occur naturally leads to noticeable improvements without complex system overhauls.

AI in Facilities Management: What Works, What Doesn’t, and Where to Start | Buildings

How AI Is Rewiring Electrical Operations by Satish Jayaram

William Attardi on September 1, 2026

Electrical professionals are facing a convergence of challenges unlike anything the industry has seen in decades. Demand for power is rising, infrastructure is aging, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, and energy costs are increasingly volatile and difficult to predict. At the same time, industrial processes, data centers, health care facilities, and other critical operations have become far less tolerant of power disruptions and quality issues. What might have been a minor disturbance a decade ago can now result in significant operational, financial, or even safety consequences. Many organizations view AI primarily as an automation tool. In my experience, its greatest value in electrical operations is helping facilities make better decisions about reliability, resiliency, and energy economics. As sensors become more pervasive and computing power continues to expand, AI is enabling organizations to move beyond reactive maintenance and siloed decision-making toward operations that are more predictive, connected, and resilient. How AI Is Rewiring Electrical Operations | EC&M

Navigating the Journey to AI-Ready Buildings by Schneider Electric

William Attardi on August 20, 2026

This paper explores how AI systems can be implemented and operated in commercial buildings to address the significant challenges that facility managers and building owners face today and in the immediate future. It also considers the wide range of benefits and new opportunities presented by the adoption of AI-enabled technologies and platforms, as well as all the key requirements for implementing AI in commercial buildings and across real estate portfolios. Download the paper: Navigating the Journey to AI-Ready Buildings | Buildings

The Creator of Baby Ruth Actually Sued Babe Ruth –The Baby Ruth candy bar was created by the Curtiss Candy Company in 1920 — the same year that baseball legend Babe Ruth hit a then-record 54 home runs. But the Great Bambino was irked that the company was selling a candy bar with such a similar name to his own without offering him any royalties. Rather than take the Curtiss Candy Company to court, the Sultan of Swat decided to make his own candy bar, and in 1926 he debuted Ruth’s Home Run bar. The Curtiss Candy Company responded by turning the tables and taking Ruth to court. They accused the slugger of trying to steal their trademark and capitalize on the success of their brand. In a 1931 deposition, Curtiss founder Otto Schnering insisted the candy was named after “Baby Ruth” Cleveland — the daughter of President Grover Cleveland.  He also attested that the company came up with the name in 1919 before the baseball player had become a household name and that the name was merely coincidental. While the validity of those claims is disputed to this day, the court nonetheless ruled in favor of the candy company, forcing Ruth to end his foray into the world of candy.