Haley & Aldrich’s Nick Machairas, Ph.D., and Jacob Aldrich co-authored the article “Generative AI: An Existential Threat or Extraordinary Opportunity for Geoprofessionals?” published in the February/March 2026 issue of GEOSTRATA, the bimonthly magazine of the Geo-Institute.
Nick and Jacob, who lead the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools at Haley & Aldrich, offer practical insights into how these tools can complement human work without putting data at risk or compromising critical thinking. “What matters most now isn’t broad capability (all-knowing, all-capable models) but practical, defensible workflows,” they write, giving examples that include digitizing boring logs, navigating large document and data sets, and streamlining corporate functions.
They also explore the promises and challenges of the “logical next step” in AI’s evolution: agents that can “figure out how to solve a problem on their own but can still delegate critical intermediate steps and decisions to the user.” Nick and Jacob offer paths forward for geoprofessionals and their organizations, noting that “human insight and intervention” will remain essential even as AI tools advance.
Read “Generative AI: An Existential Threat or Extraordinary Opportunity for Geoprofessionals?”
