The construction industry is undergoing significant changes with the adoption of AI and machine learning, impacting areas like design, modeling, and project monitoring. AI is enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and driving innovation by optimizing design processes, ensuring structural integrity, and improving on-site safety through advanced monitoring tools.
According to TechTarget, for decades, the construction industry has operated using consistent processes. But, like many sectors, it’s now undergoing significant changes due to the adoption of new technologies — including AI and machine learning. Artificial intelligence is increasingly present in nearly all aspects of construction, from design to site selection to actual production. Businesses are using AI to analyze construction data, simulate structural integrity, monitor sustainability metrics, train on-site workers and more, leading to lowered costs, improved efficiency and increased innovation.
Examples of AI in the construction industry
AI is increasingly making its way into construction, with the technology already in use in or projected to affect 12 key areas.
– Design
AI offers significant advantages for construction design by helping firms improve and speed up the design process, said Patrick Scarpati, director of construction technology and innovation at trade association Associated Builders and Contractors.
AI can help architects and engineers create design concepts and renderings more quickly. With generative AI, they can also explore alternative designs more easily than with manual processes or conventional software. In addition, AI supports automated processes such as 3D modeling.
These AI uses in the design process help to optimize time and resources. AI tools can also identify potential design issues by analyzing current and historical data, then applying insights from that data to the current design to prevent problems from arising.
– Modeling
AI plays a similar role in modeling, Scarpati said. AI’s capacity to model real-world structures and scenarios lets architects and engineers test construction designs to assess how a structure will behave in varying conditions.
Using AI in modeling and simulation enables construction industry practitioners to explore how changes in design, materials or methods would affect outcomes — an exploration made easier by AI’s ability to sift through vast amounts of data. As a result, AI’s use in modeling can better ensure structural integrity and safety compared with legacy methods, which rely on manual analysis and less data.
– Monitoring and measuring
AI also has significant benefits in monitoring and measuring construction projects, Scarpati said. Construction companies can use on-site cameras and drones to surveil worksites, take measurements and monitor progress. AI tools can then analyze the imagery to determine, for example, how much earth needs to be removed from a site, benchmark a project’s progress to identify any required course corrections or pinpoint unmitigated risks that need attention.
Another related application is safety enforcement, Weinman said. When combined with IoT devices, such as sensors and cameras, AI tools can monitor jobsites to ensure safety rules are being followed.
