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Building Tunnels

Our walks in the evening takes us under a tunnel sometimes built in pre- Civil War times. There is a plaque at the entrance that has the story about when it was built and what purposes it has served over the years. Lately, it seems to be a favorite spot for people to take glamor shots. It makes for a stunning backdrop for a portrait.  Recently the lights inside were changed to LED creating a strange juxtaposition of old and new. 

Reading this article about the use of AI in civil engineering made me think of this tunnel build without the benefit of anything modern and holding its own for centuries. Was it the best design or was it the most cost-effective project - who can tell. But after all this time has passed and as people treat it as a thing of beauty not engineering efficiency, does it even matter? Two hundred or more years from now, would any of what we are building now to serve our daily needs (as this tunnel had in it's time) turn into a place where newly weds would come to take pictures, or a girl hoping to launch a modeling career have her portfolio shot? If that were to be a goal to aspire for the AI would need to optimize for very different things. 

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