A Comparison of Human Capabilities and Large Language Models for Knowledge Representation with Ontologies of Non-Destructive Testing in Bridge Engineering

Bridge structures are considered complex and significant. Accordingly, the knowledge of the engineering domain of bridge construction and related specialist areas is multidimensional and highly specific. Sometimes this knowledge is explicitly documented in standards, technical regulations, or information sheets. At other times, it resides implicitly in the expertise of the specialists involved. Ontologies are used to structure and formalize such domain knowledge, but creating them is resource-intensive and requires specialized expertise. Large language models (LLMs) offer one way to automate ontology creation through their natural language processing capabilities. This article examines LLMs’ ability to generate ontologies in the specialized field of structural non-destructive testing (NDT) in bridge construction. Four different LLM-based approaches are employed. The results are compared with a previously created human-generated ontology and subsequently evaluated by external experts. Experts rate the human-developed SODIA ontology highest, with an average score of 3.44 out of 5 points. Only the ChatGPT 4.0-created ontology performed similarly well, with a score of 3.3 out of 5.00. All other LLM-based ontologies with ratings below 3.0 are of minor quality. These results underscore the potential and constraints of using LLMs to structure and formalize engineering domain knowledge into ontologies.