According to a major report published by McKinsey in 2017, the global construction industry has always been slow to adopt new technology. Now however the industry is on the cusp of rapid technological advancements that will see the way we plan, design and build change forever.
At the heart of the change is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and it’s helping make the construction industry more safe, efficient, productive, innovative, and ultimately cost effective.
So, in what areas is AI proving valuable?
AI is assisting in the areas of forecasting and scheduling by helping to prevent expensive delays or unexpected conflicts. By analysing historical data for patterns or variability AI allows builds to progress with a much higher level of certainty.
AI can identify possible conflicts faster than humans can by predicting what might happen in certain situations, such as there being a delay on a materials delivery, and then highlight how this might impact on other areas to aid contingency planning.
Construction sites are also being assisted by drones whose ease of use allows projects to be surveyed and photographed from above at numerous stages of the build. AI can also give an extra dimension to any planning and is being used to help design the routes of electrical and plumbing systems in modern buildings.
One area that AI is really making a difference is in the area of safety. Machines can function intelligently with constant predictive maintenance and checks on how the machine is performing and functioning to prevent breakdowns and problems that can lead to costly delays and accidents.
AI has also taken site security to the next level as not only does it work 24/7, it is never distracted and uses advancements such as facial and object recognition to stop thefts, but even better it can catch unsafe actions before they cause an accident by raising an alarm.