The Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Construction Industry

Ask people about artificial intelligence (AI), and you’ll likely elicit an array of responses – from an initial fear of rogue machines taking over the world, to indifferent dismissal. However, the reality is that AI in its current form is still far from a super-intelligence and is rather a branch of study that has found widespread application in business and across industries, including construction.¹

“Worth $10.5 trillion, the construction sector is ripe for technological disruption.“

The construction sector, estimated at being worth more than $10.5 trillion, still remains severely under digitized.² But AI in construction is on the rise, and those who are ready to embrace the business impact of this technology could gain a significant competitive advantage.³ The first step to taking advantage of AI technology is to demystify it. An expert from MIT Sloan School of Management tells you how to do that:

How AI can be used in the initial phases of construction

Gaining contracts and commercial advantage

By using AI and natural language processing (NLP) to learn from previous projects and data, you don’t need to start from scratch for every project or pitch.⁴ AI can help increase a construction firm’s success rate in the initial tender process by assessing previous project bids, replicating the successful aspects, and avoiding elements of failure. These learning algorithms can boost a construction firm’s win rate, predict the likelihood of a go/no-go scenario, increase margins, and drive project value.⁵ 

Producing design alternatives

Artificial intelligence can aid the design process with the use of generative design – a form-finding process that imitates nature’s evolutionary approach to design.⁶ The system – such as AutoDesk – is first given clearly specified design goals, after which it explores multiple variations of potential solutions to find the best option.⁷

Saving time with Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

In construction, instead of manually typing up or re-drawing documents, OCR technology can be used to quickly search drawings, and convert documents and images into editable and searchable data.⁸ Many drawing applications use OCR to scan drawings, name and number sheets, and hyperlink related sheets, saving construction businesses considerable time and cost.⁹

How AI is used in the execution phase of construction

Construction methodology

Artificial intelligence database systems can inform engineers of the best construction methodology for a site, based on previous projects as well as pre-existing blueprints in the design stage. With this information, engineers can make important decisions thanks to evidence that may not have been available to them before.¹⁰

Administrative roles

Once building has started, AI can be used for administrative tasks, such as allowing workers to input sick days, holidays, and leave days into a data system. The system will then adjust the project accordingly, and automatically assign tasks to other employees on the affected days.¹¹

“The construction industry is using AI to move from self-regulating to self-upgrading buildings.”

AI inside buildings

Artificial intelligence can be included inside both commercial and residential buildings. Although currently used to optimize energy use, control environmental factors (such as lighting and temperature), and add a layer of security, future developments could see so-called cognitive buildings analyze and upgrade themselves based on historical data.¹²

How AI could improve construction project management

Drones

Using drones to gather accurate survey maps and aerial images of a job site, as well as track progress remotely, saves on a project’s time and cost. Plus, the aerial images can give project managers a different perspective of the project, and help spot potential issues that may not have been apparent from the ground.¹³

Project and subcontractor management

Construction companies use AI to analyze project data – such as construction site monitoring and predictive analytics – in real-time in order to make informed decisions that have implications on the project’s quality, safety, profitability, and schedule.¹⁴

Alerts

Field reporting software allows foremen to submit job site activity or issues directly into the system, which can be set to send a notification or alert on certain keywords, such as ‘delay’ or ‘safety’. These alerts keep key stakeholders up-to-date on projects.¹⁵

How AI is making construction safer and more profitable

Smart assistants

The construction industry is notorious for being high-risk and low-margin, with a dire need for an investment in technology that will help improve productivity.¹⁶ Artificial intelligence brings to construction the ability to sift through thousands of data points, automatically and instantly categorize and classify them, and highlight vital information on spend and risk to management.¹⁷

Safer and more compliant

Artificial intelligence technology – such as Smartvid – can analyze people in photos or videos on a job site, identify the presence or absence of safety gear, and alert safety officers in the case of infringements. This can lower risk and drive correct behaviors.¹⁸

“From administration and project management automation to brick-laying robots, technology in the construction industry is opening a world of opportunities.”

Improved productivity

One of AI’s most effective applications in construction is its ability to remove data silos. An example of this is Spot-R, which allows team managers to see the real-time location of workers on their 2D drawings and 3D models.¹⁹ This data can be used for machine learning algorithms to track productivity and suggest improvements.

The future of AI in construction

Robots

While robots are not yet a common sight on construction sites, Hadrian X – a giant bricklaying robot developed by Fastbrick Robotics that can build homes in two days – has recently commenced work on its biggest project yet: building the walls of 16 townhouses.²⁰

Breaking down to build

As seen with adjacent industries, like logistics and manufacturing, it is critical to include AI in your business strategy. Because AI facilitates the breaking down of barriers between key stakeholders in construction, it creates an ecosystem of services, tools, and solutions that will keep the industry competitive.²¹ Construction businesses can start their road to embracing AI and technology by digitizing their workflows and project documentation. This way, they can start leveraging that critical data and make it available for machine learning algorithms to analyze and predict risk.²²

Early adopters and fast followers of digital transformation will be rewarded for being pioneering disruptors in the construction sector. Though this industry typically lags when it comes to the adoption of new technology, the time is ripe for business owners and firms to pull AI applications and techniques into the sector.²³

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