The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is the principal association for geotechnical engineers in the UK.
This event is hosted by the Yorkshire Geotechnical Group (YGG).
This event is planned as an in-person event.
Photographs may be taken at the event and used for BGA promotional purposes; if you have any objections please contact the BGA via email.
The Touring Lecture was established by the British Geotechnical Society (the predecessor to the BGA) in the 1980s to provide support to Regional Geotechnical Groups in the UK by bringing eminent geotechnical professionals from overseas to deliver a lecture on their particular expertise. The Lecture is biennial and is held at three venues around the country.
The British Geotechnical Association
17.11.2026
18:00 - 20:00
University of Leeds, Woodhouse, Leeds, UK
Advanced booking is not required
BGA Event
Light refreshments follow from the lecture
Geotechnical engineering is entering an era where machines can see more, compute faster and detect patterns long before humans notice them — yet we remain unsure how far to trust them. This lecture explores that tension. We examine the reliability limits of AI in a domain defined by sparse data and high consequence, the legal and insurance frameworks that keep liability firmly human, and the cultural forces that slow adoption even when the technology works.
Through examples from current practice, from automated pipe-defect recognition to 3DGS‑based deformation monitoring and machine‑learning‑assisted back‑analysis, we show where AI genuinely strengthens engineering insight, and where caution is still warranted.
Finally, we look toward the possibility of more autonomous workflows and what must be solved before such systems can operate responsibly beneath the surface. Turing asked whether machines could think; for engineers, the harder question is how to verify and validate what they produce.
Widely viewed as the most prestigious of the invited lectures in geotechnics and was first held in 1961.
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