Prospects and Challenges of Large Language Models in the Field of Intelligent Building

Abstract

At the end of November 2022, the ChatGPT released by OpenAI Inc. performed excellently and quickly became popular worldwide. Despite some shortcomings, Large Language Models (LLM) represented by Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) is here to stay, leading the way for the new generation of Natural Language Processing (NLP) technique. This commentary presents the potential benefits and challenges of the applications of large language models, from the viewpoint of intelligent building. We briefly discuss the history and current state of large language models and their shortcomings. We then highlight how these models can be used to improve the daily maintenance of intelligent building. With regard to challenges, we address some vital problems to be solved before deployment and argue that large language models in intelligent building require maintenance staff to develop sets of competencies and literacies necessary to both understand the technology as well as the maintenance and maneuver of intelligent building. In addition, a clear strategy within intelligent building troops with a strong focus on AI talents construction and training dataset annotation are required to integrate and take full advantage of large language models in the daily maintenance. We conclude with recommendations for how to address these challenges and prepare for further applications of LLM in the field of intelligent building in the future.