AI isn’t just a technology you find in the theoretical tech world anymore. It has found its way into many industries, and few industries benefit from AI more than the construction industry. The potential of AI in construction goes beyond the heights of skyscrapers, and it has benefits of AI in the construction industry from the ground up.
Issues such as communication, safety measures, data analysis, and logistics are being solved thanks to the power of artificial intelligence. Today, let’s talk about the benefits of AI in the construction industry, and what it means moving forward for the industry as a whole.
1. Improve Building Designs With 3D Software
One of the worries in designing a building is making sure that design and engineering are in a more or less balanced state. A design may look great in theory, but when put in practice, it opens up a host of construction issues. AI can analyze your 3D building as you work on it, accompanied by the material used, potential safety concerns, and conflicts with other parts of the building.
For example, if a design choice directly interrupts an electrical cable or plumbing pipe, the AI lets you know immediately. This saves a lot of time with trial and error and smoothly integrates engineering protocols into the design process. 3D modeling is also streamlined with AI, as you can simulate what the building will look once it’s finished. One could even do virtual tours of the space to see how it would actually look “in practice”, so to speak.
2. Enhance Worksite Safety
AI isn’t just a tool for planning buildings. It’s also a useful tool for keeping your worksite accident-free. AI manages the influx of people working around the clock and sees if there are any potential safety hazards based on how many people are working in a given area, as well as what material they are working with.
With proper reports from each team, you also have access to the status of all your equipment. Faulty equipment is one of the major dangers in a construction site, and preventing that before it causes any issues is crucial. Combined with AI, one can even monitor the entire workplace by using surveillance devices.
3. Workplace Automation
Though a relatively young advancement, “smart” construction equipment is making waves in the industry. Right now, they are starting with self-driving construction vehicles that perform heavy and repetitive tasks that don’t need finesse but do need lots of energy.
The ability to automate tasks such as filling landfills, excavating, and setting up sites is being developed with AI. This gives your workers time to focus on more delicate and complex parts of construction. AI also keeps track of each piece of equipment and lets you know where they can be best utilized. No equipment will go unused unless there is no reason to use them.
4. Avoid Cost Overruns
Cost overruns are a common issue in every construction project, regardless of the size. So many factors are in play that people simply can’t account for all of them. The chance of cost overruns is directly tied to the scale of the project too, and a bigger project means even more factors.
With AI, you can streamline your financial planning for the project, from the supply chain to the best time to start building a certain part of the building. Data analytics with AI lets you look up reports from past projects, compare the costs with your current project, and build a better-budgeted plan that you can tweak as needed.
5. Advanced Project Management
AI isn’t just for micromanagement tasks such as building design and budgeting. AI lets you zoom out and manage the entire project much easier than before. With AI, one can look at every aspect of a project and see what needs most of your attention. AI will take into account factors like the budget, estimated finish time, cost of materials and labor, and status of your staff.
Algorithms will take information from past construction work plans, take into account old mistakes, and give you the solution in your current project. With predictive data, these solutions could even be provided before the problem even occurs. AI also lets you communicate with each cog in the project. If a manager is having issues in another part of the site, you can quickly communicate and help them iron out any issues.
All of this is done at record speeds that no human could hope to simulate.
Conclusion
Artificial intelligence is getting easier and easier to integrate into a workplace. Along with the lowering costs of its implementation, AI technology is a tool that every construction company should be taking advantage of. The impact of benefits such as cost management, safety enhancements, and predictive engineering concerns are built into every stage of a project cannot be understated. As soon as possible, work with your IT team and start implementing AI into your workflow.