Looking ahead – Artificial Intelligence in construction
At Velocity we have spent a lot of time discussing the effects the pandemic has had on both construction and recruitment, but this week we wanted to do something a bit different. At the mercy of government restrictions and vaccines, there is nothing else we can do to prepare but to continue pushing on and placing candidates in rewarding positions within the built environment. What we can do is look ahead, we have talked about the technology that will impact the future of construction but this time we wanted to talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI).
AI is commonplace within a lot of industries, manufacturing and automotive to name a few examples. Its use in construction however is not as ordinary. Some future focused firms are deploying AI at varying stages with exciting results. Here is a breakdown of benefits you could expect to see deploying AI in construction.
Project planning and design
In our last technology focused blog we discussed the use of Augmented and Virtual Reality in the design phase of a project, but AI has an equal part to play.
Deploying AI algorithms during the planning model actually allows the system to assess multiple variations of any model. What this means is the clever software will look at a model and check thousands of options to present the best option. Resulting in a safer building that reduces costs and time to build. For a human to check all these possibilities would be a costly and time-consuming task but for AI it is a simple equation. What’s exciting about AI in construction is the same for other industries, the AI learns patterns so you don’t have to. The AI is constantly self-learning, not in a nefarious Terminator way, but to use data to identify why things happen.
Construction is not a one-size-fits-all industry, every single site is different and experiences different factors such as the weather. What worked perfectly on one site may not translate to another, AI would take those unknown factors, the changing weather or different foundations, and show on-site operators how to address them.
Going even one stage further, AI actually has the capabilities to self-design. What this means is you can actually show software images of what you want. Input the space and location you have and that’s it! The AI can not only build a plan specific to your needs but will show you all the considerations you need to make including all structural requirements.
Construction
It’s not out of the ordinary to see a drone on a construction site, taking images and video of the construction site giving a much wider view during the project. But adding AI into this mix, the data collected by these drones can be used in a multitude of ways.
The AI can actually learn patterns then alert on-site managers to any change in those patters. For example, after looking at lots of footage and images of the site, through the drones the AI would know if any laborers weren’t wearing the correct headwear or safety gear working from a height. It would feed all this information to the on-site manager giving them an unparalleled insight into the goings on of a working construction site.
This covers the day-to-day operations where AI will add value, but clever software actually has a bigger part to play in the overall management of a project. Throughout the construction phase the entire management and pace of the build can be dictated by AI, using those learnt patters the AI will manage all aspects. For example the AI will know how much material will be needed for a project, order and distribute this accordingly. Should those plans change due to unforeseen circumstances or the raw material is broken, the software will adjust and order replacements without the intervention of the onsite manager.
Productivity
Now this one is looking ahead a bit further but this high-level technology is being used in construction sites today, it just may be a while before it is commonplace across all construction. I mentioned the use of AI in the automotive industry in the introduction and that was referring to driverless cars. Whilst progress is ongoing, the roads aren’t filled with Elon Musk’s self-driving Teslas - just yet! But the construction industry is turning to self-driving machinery for tasks that they can complete more efficiently than humans. Excavation work for example can now be completed by self-driving bulldozers. Preparing a construction site and freeing up those valuable human workers for the construction work itself. This reduces the time required to complete a project.
This is just a snapshot of how Artificial Intelligence will play a role in the future of the construction industry, as with other technical industries the line between IT and on-site operators is becoming blurred. Technology is an important part of construction and effects productivity, costing and the all important worker safety, to stay competitive construction firms need to take note of this high-level technology and the benefits it brings.
