We’ve already discussed how artificial intelligence (AI) can help manufacturing companies, and it can be equally as helpful for construction firms.
While the construction industry has been relatively slow to adopt AI, the top contractors have used AI to reduce budgets by 10-15%, decrease budget and timeline variations by 10-20%, improve safety through a 30-35% reduction in accidents, and cut engineering hours by 10-30% through construction-specific AI agents, according to Datagrid.
Therefore, using AI technologies to improve efficiency and safety is an excellent choice for construction companies that want to be high-performing. In this blog post, we’ll cover:
- How AI tools can help the construction sector.
- What should we know about the construction industry?
- What are the current trends in the construction industry?
- What is important to the construction industry?
- How we can help construction clients.
- AI, Construction, and Sustainability.
- Concluding thoughts.
What should we know about the construction industry?
The construction industry is the backbone of urban development, according to IFS, an enterprise software company focused on industrial and financial systems.
While it obviously focuses on building and construction, it includes much more, such as project management, planning, and engineering. It’s used in four main sectors: industrial, commercial, residential, and infrastructure.
Industrial: Focused on building factories and power plants for production.
Commercial: Centered on office spaces and hotels.
Residential: Emphasis on building homes and apartments.
Infrastructure: The building of roads, bridges, and public facilities for connecting people to places and services.
The construction industry is critical to the economy. It stimulates job growth, economic growth, and innovation.
What are the current trends in the construction industry?
Some of the current trends in the industry include greater diversity, with more younger people and women entering the construction field, according to IFS. Also, as older workers retire, a shortage of skilled workers remains, amplifying the need for new, skilled workers.
Additionally, as technology advances, workers need to be caught up to speed on how to use the updated tools. As such, prioritizing training and addressing skill gaps is key.
What’s important to the construction industry?
Health and safety remain top priorities in the construction industry, according to IFS.
The construction industry faces many common hazards, such as falls, moving equipment, electrical hazards, and toxic substances. As a result, strict safety policies are enforced. Some technologies that help promote safety for construction workers are IoT sensors, wearable devices, robotics, and augmented reality (AR).
In addition, drones and 3D scanners can offer detailed safety inspections, and smart helmets and vests can watch workers’ vital signs and notify them of any potential threats. All of these technologies combined can make a difference in creating a safer atmosphere for construction employees.
While health and safety are of utmost importance, technological advances are also important to the construction industry. Industrial AI is expected to play a major role in increasing productivity and project margins.
Last but not least, making sustainable shifts in construction work is crucial to making the planet a healthier place to live. To prioritize this, construction workers can use sustainable materials like bamboo and recyclable steel. They can also comply with government environmental policies and implement energy-efficient systems. Lastly, they can utilize enterprise resource planning solutions (ERP) to measure their carbon footprints throughout their projects and make adjustments as needed.
To address all of these concerns and more, AI can be a great asset to the construction field. With that said, let’s take a look at what AI can do for construction workers:
How AI Tools Can Help the Construction Sector
To start, AI can help construction companies improve the quality of their designs to make products better for humans and users, according to AutoDesk Construction Cloud.
For example, WeWork wanted meeting rooms that were appropriate for the people who used the rooms. So, they used machine learning to predict the frequency of use for the meeting rooms. As a result, the company designed the rooms to fit the needs of the users.
As another example, AutoDesk collaborated with Daisy Inc. to design a workflow for timber structures. AutoDesk created a prototype called Kratos, which enhanced the design of mass timber buildings, and Daisy Inc. made an AI-powered construction design system that automated timber floor layout improvements. Together, these systems combined to offer high-quality timber structures.
In addition to improving design quality, AI can enhance safety measures for construction sites. For instance, AI-powered computer vision can help detect trips and falls and monitor for safety hazards and non-compliance, such as recording when a worker doesn’t have safety gear on.
Also, sensors, cameras, and IoT devices can spot and log any incidents that occur thanks to Natural Language Processing techniques. From there, they can analyze reports, detect patterns, and advise on the best course of action.
Speaking of spotting and helping reduce risk, AI is also a wonderful tool for testing and reducing risk. AutoSpecs functionality in the Autodesk Construction Cloud uses ConstructionIQ to look at historical data to see if there are any missing project submittals. This can help teams proactively manage costs and schedule risks.
Last but certainly not least, AI can help teams stick with and finish construction projects. It can augment the collection and use of data by classifying data, such as work orders, in real-time. This saves teams time in the lengthy project process.
How we can help construction clients
At Psycray, we know that construction companies need to prove their commitment to quality work and client care in order to stand out.
We suggest that construction companies create an impressive, user-friendly website with customer testimonials and clear, concise language. We also advise that they highlight their best projects to stand out from the competition.
AI, Construction, and Sustainability
Aside from project management, safety assessment, and risk assessment, AI can even help companies make more environmentally-friendly decisions. According to Open Asset, AI can suggest methods to make the most of energy and water. They can analyze data on emissions, material use, energy consumption, and similar environmental factors to advise on the best paths forward. They can also analyze material requirements and usage patterns needed to get the job done, which can help employees make greener decisions. Furthermore, AI’s predictive analytics capabilities can assess the environmental effects of different decisions, which can help construction workers weigh the pros and cons of each and make the best decision.
Lastly, through various simulation and testing efforts, AI can help design energy-efficient buildings to improve sustainability in the future.
Conclusion
While the construction sector hasn’t been notably quick to embrace AI, the companies who are using AI solutions are seeing immense benefits. From reducing accidents to cutting costs, AI can help your company become an even better place to work and do business with.
The AI construction market size is expected to grow from $2.93 billion USD in 2023 (two years ago) to $16.96 billion USD in 2030, at an annual growth rate of 26.9% according to Datagrid. Given this grow in market size, adopting the trend to stay ahead of the curve and improve your workplace efficiency could be an incredible move.
If you’re interested in our AI agentic services, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’d love to learn more about how we can help you succeed in your specific business goals.