Firedesign.ai CEO Jason Tielve and Think Big Technology CEO & Founder Omar Hafez were featured on MSN.com, discussing how artificial intelligence is transforming one of the most underserved sectors in construction and engineering: fire protection design.
The interview explores the challenges facing the fire protection industry today, including growing project demand, increasing code complexity, and a shortage of qualified designers and engineers. It also highlights how Firedesign.ai is addressing these challenges through a patent-pending AI platform that automates the most time-consuming aspects of sprinkler system design while maintaining compliance with NFPA standards and engineering best practices.
Some of the key topics covered in the feature include:
Modernizing a stagnant workflow. While many areas of construction have embraced technological innovation, fire protection design has remained largely unchanged for decades. Firedesign.ai aims to bring automation and intelligence to a process that has historically relied on extensive manual effort. Addressing the industry's talent shortage. The fire protection sector faces a growing shortage of qualified professionals at a time when demand for compliant system design continues to increase. AI can help experienced engineers and designers handle significantly more work without sacrificing quality or safety. Reducing design time by up to 80%. By automating repetitive layout and engineering tasks, the platform enables teams to complete projects in minutes rather than hours, allowing professionals to focus on review, validation, and critical decision-making. AI as augmentation, not replacement. Rather than replacing engineers, the platform shifts their role toward oversight, compliance verification, and engineering judgment. Human expertise remains central to every final design. Building trust in life-safety systems. In fire protection engineering, accuracy is non-negotiable. The discussion emphasizes the importance of structured validation, code-based constraints, and professional review to ensure every design meets rigorous safety requirements. A vision beyond fire protection. While the company's initial focus is sprinkler system design, the underlying technology is being developed to support broader mechanical and engineering workflows across the construction industry.
The MSN feature highlights a broader shift taking place across engineering and construction: the adoption of AI-powered tools that improve speed, consistency, and scalability while preserving the expertise of licensed professionals. By combining deep industry knowledge with advanced automation, Firedesign.ai and Think Big Technology are helping shape the future of fire protection engineering.