How Can AI Assist in the Construction Sector?

• 26 November 2020
• Local News
• 3056 Views

In the past, many experts were needed for any construction project from planning, executing, to inspecting for technical errors. What if AI technology could do those things instead?

Simply put, AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is a technology which allows a computer or machine to learn and respond like a human.

For the construction sector, there are many benefits, such as:

1) Designing and Planning
In the past, builders spent days in the designing process. Now, they can use AI to analyse previous projects and quickly create new ones. AI will study the data from various constructions as a model; users just need to input new data such as size, location or the preferred budget, AI will come up the layout and plan. Besides, with AI, users can easily adjust the planning or design according to customer preferences.

2) Inspect and Automate Machinery
AI can help manage, control, and automate construction machinery in a safer manner. Given that, AI can help reduce the workload of the construction workers, as the machines will run automatically. As a result, the workflow will be faster.

3) Effectively Manage Data
AI can effectively help in data management and data storage, with faster and easier access. For example, if you want to know how many specific materials there are or to find the location of a project, you can easily find it by pressing search or using the voice command. Instead of searching for documents on paper, AI could do that with just one click.

4) Reduce Cost
AI can analyse complex projects from past data. By doing so, it can detect possible problems in advance, so the constructor can plan ahead on the solution. Besides, AI can analyse and manage employees’ working schedule, costs, materials and other important segments.

5) Risk Management
The most crucial point of AI is that it can detect construction errors that humans cannot see during construction. AI can also analyse projects, evaluate the work environment, and collect data to find other risks.

On the other hand, during the COVID-19 period, where social distancing is imposed, each construction site must reduce the number of workers. In this case, the use of AI can largely help.

Besides these benefits, AI also has many other benefits depending on how you use it, but keep in that all technologies have their drawbacks that users must consider well before using.

Photo: BIMToday

• Technology and Engineering