This article is part of a blog series, which explores the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in construction.

The construction industry has not yet fully embraced artificial intelligence solutions. We will review in this article which applications and algorithms can help bridge the technology gap, in every stage of the construction, from design, to preconstruction, to construction, to operations, and asset management.

It is proven that AI return on investment (ROI) is high and that there is a large management interest in AI solutions. Unfortunately, only very few firms or owners have the resources, staff, processes, and tools to set them up.

AI has been implemented, to various degrees, in other industries. So how can construction benefit from their learnings?

McKinsey's research revealed a growing focus on technological solutions that incorporate artificial intelligence (AI)-powered algorithms. These technologies, Robotics, AI, and the Internet of Things focus on overcoming some of the AECO industry’s greatest challenges, including cost and schedule overruns and safety concerns. Using these technologies on a project could:

• reduce building costs by up to 20 percent,
• track the work as it progresses,
• plan the routing of electrical and plumbing systems in modern buildings,
• develop safety systems for worksites,
• track the real-time interactions of workers, machinery, and objects on-site, and
• alert supervisors of potential safety issues, construction errors, and productivity issues.

It is feared by most that AI may create a huge loss of jobs. We do not believe that AI will replace the human workforce. In fact, we think that thanks to AI the construction industry will change its business models, which will result in:

• less costly errors,
• fewer accidents on site,
• smoother building operations, and
• better efficiency.

To prioritize your AI investment, you should understand where AI can have the most impact on your business needs.

From planning to maintaining an asset professionals embrace AI to:

• add efficiency and accuracy to projects,
• monitor and track equipment usage and location, and
• many other AI-driven applications.

McKinsey & Company identifies AI as a critical component of modern engineering and construction approaches.

What transformations can Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning bring to construction?

With artificial intelligence and machine learning the construction industry have a chance to transform itself by:

• reducing manual, inconvenient and repetitive work, and
• automating the decision-making process.

Artificial intelligence spending in the construction industry has been forecast to reach over $4.5 billion by 2026 and to increase the construction industry’s profits by 71% by 2035.

Three ways AI and Machine Learning will change the way the construction industry operates:

Producing higher efficiency

Reducing errors by automating the data entry workflows will make project management more engaging while maintaining contract compliance on construction projects, especially for submittal log creation and document closeout.

If you introduce AI and ML to automate labor-intensive and tedious tasks to catch early errors, your teams will be able to focus on more rewarding tasks and strategy and will reduce the overall cost of your project avoiding costly reworks.

As much as 30% of all building materials delivered to a typical construction site can end up as waste. (ScienceDirect). It’s urgent the industry starts prioritizing accuracy.

Mitigating Risk.

Automating your processes with AI and ML will help you to mitigate financial risks in your projects and physical risks that may cause injuries on construction sites.

In terms of financial risk automating repetitive tasks with AI and ML allow to cut time spent on those manual tasks from hours to merely minutes. Your team can then focus on more strategic tasks.

In terms of physical risks, on-site AI can detect and prevent quality issues, provide visibility into high-risk areas and mitigate health and safety risks by helping to change behaviors and avoid hazards by predicting the probability of getting injured on a jobsite.

Saving Time

AI and ML need human intelligence to effectively act as a tool to help people work to the best of their abilities.

Using AI and 3D Printing for example can significantly reduce human effort and in dangerous areas avoid unnecessary accidents. But you still need an operator to monitor the work. Artificial intelligence helps enhance the quality and speed of work, but it will never be a replacement for human intelligence.

In Conclusion

The construction industry just started to use Artificial Intelligence applications, AI and machine learning solutions will help cut down on manual work, mitigate risk, reduce human error, and free up time for more important tasks but it won’t be reducing jobs for the foreseeable time. AI and ML are complementary tools to human intelligence, empowering you to be the best architect, engineer, or contractor you can be.

Implementing BIM can be daunting, but Driving Vision is here to help you at the pace you are comfortable with. Get started by getting in touch now