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Episode 7

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Published on:

28th Jul 2026

Bill Guo - AI for the Rail industry and how Civil Engineers should think about and use AI

https://www.talkcivils.com/engage

In this episode I talk to Bill Guo about is work on the use of AI to support the rail sector, and his work supporting the regulation of the use of AI in Civil Engineering more generally. We start by talking about where Bill's experience comes from, and I try to build a picture of his motivations and thought process. We then dig into his thoughts on how AI can, and should, be used, what its limitations are, and touch on some of the wider issues around its miss-use. He has some great advice for those looking to better understand the technology, and those looking to better understand what the future might look like.

Bill graduated from Imperial College and is Chartered Civil Engineer. He has a broad understanding of the rail industry having work client side for Network Rail and therefore as part of a technical approval authority. He's worked delivery side for a large consultancy, and then also worked with a small business looking to expand into the rail sector. He is now the founder of AutomateX, https://automatex.uk/ 'Accelerating AI adoption for UK rail'. Bill's entrepreneurial spirit and thirst for knowledge comes over in spades, and he is passionate about bringing others with him on that journey.

Bill has won awards for his outstanding contribution to the delivery of large scale rail projects, and is actively working with the ICE to help shape their regulation of and guidance on the use of AI. He is running an event in September to discuss exactly that: https://www.ice.org.uk/events/upcoming-events/ai-and-the-civil-engineer-reimagining-roles-in-infrastructure-delivery

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About the Podcast

TalkCivils
Talking to the remarkable people that do Civil Engineering
TalkCivils is a primarily interview based podcast that explores all aspects of the hugely varied and exciting world of Civil Engineering. There is something for everyone from conversations about career paths to advice on professional development, project spotlights to discussions on national strategy, deep dives on technical topics to reviews of industry trends and emerging technology, and anything else that catches our interest along the way.

Join me as I talk to some of the remarkable people that enable this industry to provide and maintain the infrastructure that brings individuals and communities together into thriving civilisations.
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About your host

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Nicholas Lake

I'm an Associate (Engineer) at Tony Gee and Partners LLP, and passionate about Civil Engineering and the small role each of us can play in shaping the society we live in, oh and we get to play with some big toys! I was fortunate to be sponsored as an undergraduate and went on to join the Structures department full time after graduation from Imperial College with a Masters Degree (MEng ACGI) in Civil Engineering. I achieved Chartered Membership of the Institution of Structural Engineers in 2020 (CEng MIStructE) and followed up with Chartered Membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 2026 (CEng MICE).

I have been team lead for design, checking, and assessment of permanent and temporary works for steel, concrete, and composite bridges, jacked boxes, gantries, and various other heavy civils structures. I've got particular experience in finite element analysis including buckling and dynamic analysis of structures, and modelling of structures on hydraulic support systems. My involvement with numerous successful bridge launch, move, and slide schemes has also included site support and supervision. As part of my professional training, I spent 12 months on site (2016-2017) seconded to Hochtief UK Construction where I worked on a new road over rail bridge scheme to replace the infamous Ufton Nervet Level Crossing, and then moved to a large motorway junction improvement scheme.

My primary attraction to Civil Engineering is the technical challenge of design and how these solutions can be practically, efficiently, and safely constructed. Alongside this, I take a keen interest in how we build and support exceptional teams that can deliver technical excellence. I firmly believe that this starts with great communication.