How can cost engineers use AI and data in practice while staying compliant with the latest regulations?
We explored this during a recent Certified Cost Engineer workshop, organized together with Stichting DACE. The session brought together legal frameworks and hands-on data engineering in one practical setting.
Key Highlights and Takeaways
Julia Krämer (Erasmus School of Law) presented key perspectives on data protection & AI regulation by focusing on:
- Understanding GDPR in practice, including what counts as personal data in everyday project work (from emails to contractor records)
- Conditions for lawful data processing under GDPR and how these apply in practice
- Risks and responsibilities when using AI tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot in project environments
- Key requirements of the EU AI Act, including human oversight, logging, and risk-based obligations for higher-risk use cases
Jos van Dongen (Erasmus Data Collaboratory) provided an interactive, hands-on session which covered the following topics:
- Moving beyond Excel towards more structured, SQL-based workflows for cost engineering
- Applying principles of data quality, cleansing, and normalization
- Translating Excel-based workflows into scalable, database-driven approaches
- Navigating real-world constraints, including highly secured corporate environments where software installation is restricted and many tools are blocked
- Leveraging DuckDB Wasm to enable browser-based, installation-free SQL exercises and hands-on learning
Together, the sessions combined regulatory awareness with practical data skills, sparking strong discussions on how data and AI can be used more effectively and responsibly in cost management.
Thank you to all participants for the energy and engagement throughout the workshop!
