Benefits of AI in Construction Industry
• Artificial Intelligence has the potential to set UK construction on its next major leap in terms of performance, automating and streamlining aspects of project development.
• This revolution is already happening, with AI tools starting to make their way into use in businesses – wittingly or unwittingly – across the sector.
• Key benefits that may arise from the use of AI include optimisation of design, identification of errors, faster and better decision-making, and improved commercial management. AI can also unlock better health and safety
performance.
• This implementation can drive benefits, but consideration must also be given to how this might create new risks for construction companies. These risks include reduced privacy, overdependence on AI tools, cyber security concerns, ethical issues and the loss of intellectual property.
• The UK does not currently have direct legislation specific to AI, but existing legislation must be considered by businesses using AI.
In this section we outline some of the benefits that might arise where AI is incorporated into the activities of the key role categories in the industry.
Project planning & design
» Design optimisation
Access to large datasets from existing assets and their performance opens the potential to allow generative AI to produce thousands of design options for a new structure, and to carry out an assessment of which is the best solution, and proposing further options to further improve it.
» Automation
Projects are rarely fixed throughout their development lifecycle. Where customer or regulatory requirements change during the design period, AI can be used to rapidly update the digital model, adjusting it to meet new demands while ensuring that any new solution still meets the wider brief.
» Error detection
Like any business process, there is a risk that errors are introduced to designs, whether by a human or digital hand. Through access to standards, codes, and information about errors on previous projects, AI can review designs and identify errors and/or areas where errors are more likely to arise.
» Community engagement
Securing support and consent from communities is an increasingly important element of the process for new construction projects. AI can help review and summarise large datasets of community feedback, while also sampling social media for sentiment about a project.
» Simulation & visualisation
AI tools can be used to rapidly develop 4D visualisations of proposed projects, allowing customers and stakeholders to explore structures while they are still on the drawing board, while also allowing site teams to understand what they will build and how the scheme will progress. While such visualisation is already available, AI will open up options to make amendments in real time, helping to bed any decisions on changes in reality.
Management
» Decision making
Leaders of construction businesses will be asked on a near day-to-day basis to make decisions that will have significant and long-term implications for the company. While the ultimate responsibility for these decisions will always rest with the leader in question, AI can support this process by analysing and
processing complex information on the issue, helping to guide the leader towards a better understanding through which to make this decision.
» Business process improvement
There is a significant opportunity to drive more efficient processes in businesses through AI. Process automation can review data from a company’s existing operations to both optimise workflows and automate some back office tasks.
» Project planning & scheduling
AI can analyse and assess all of the complex inputs, constraints and resource requirements for a project and use this data, along with historic data from previous projects, to develop an optimised schedule.
for delivery. Such schedules can also understand and flag up any likely risk hotspots within the programme
» Health, safety and environment
AI can support health, safety and environmental compliance by aggregating and assessing data from all of the company’s operations, reporting on risks and non-compliances to allow prompt action to remedy any concerns. This can further be supported by live camera data from fixed and drone camera platforms.
Commercial
» Cost forecasting
AI-enabled software is already unlocking better cost management and forecasting for UK construction companies. These providers can draw from large historic cost datasets, and incoming data from new projects, to accurately model current and forecast costs in real time. Dashboards can provide commercial teams with readily understandable insights into cost performance.
» Estimating
At tender stage, the same cost estimation capability can be used to build accurate estimates for inclusion as part of tenders for new work. AI can analyse designs to prepare breakdowns of inputs, while also identifying drivers of potential cost variance.
» Contract management
Construction contracts are often complex, with clients and suppliers typically amending standard forms to meet their own requirements. AI can be used to read these contracts and provide insight to companies about potential risks, as well as guiding on how the contract can be managed through the life of the project, using actual data from site to automatically notify of an event that is relevant to the contract.
» Supply chain management
A typical construction project may have hundreds or even thousands of suppliers working on it. AI can help construction companies to understand this often
complex ecosystem, crunching large amounts of data and highlighting relationships between suppliers to ensure that the company has access to the right supplier capacity and competence at the right price when it is needed.
» Automation
We are seeing rapid progress on efforts to bring greater automation to the fleet of plant and equipment used by the UK construction sector. In the future, AI will be able to review project designs and create delivery schedules that can be built using automated plant.
» Safety monitoring
Through site-based cameras and wearable technology, it will be possible to monitor the workforce across even very large construction sites. AI can capture and analyse this data, intelligently flagging up poor health and safety behaviours, while also highlighting potential risks to workers.
» Telematics diagnosis
Much of the construction plant in use by the construction sector already includes telematics to provide insight on the way that each piece of kit is performing. Adding AI into the mix will allow identification of issues that will allow predictive maintenance before a problem arises, as well as optimisation of plant movements to reduce fuel use.
» Work simulation
As noted previously, AI-enabled visualisation tools will allow workers to build a structure in the virtual world first, helping to better understand the construction process and iron out any potential barriers to delivery before a foot has been set on site.
Support services
» Compliance
All businesses have a legal obligation to follow relevant legislation and regulation. They may also have made contractual commitments to clients and
signed up to standards set by accreditation bodies. Ensuring compliance with the requirements that flow from these commitments can be a significant
task. AI offers the opportunity to hand over some of the responsibility for monitoring and reporting to automated systems.
» Market analysis
As part of construction companies’ business development and work-winning activity, it is essential to have a clear understanding of future opportunities, customer drivers, and the nature of the market that you are competing in. AI can analysis public and private market data sources to identify emerging markets, potential risks to avoid, predict future demand, and suggest areas for expansion or investment.
» Customer relationship management
Most UK construction businesses of any significant size will already use forms of Customer Relationship Management software to help them keep tabs on
the businesses that they work for, as well as key stakeholders. But AI provides the opportunity to accelerate this, digging deep into the data to offer insights about each organisation, as well as tailored personalisation for engagement with individuals.
» Bid preparation
The preparation of bids for new work can be a labourintensive activity for many companies. As such, one area where we are already seeing adoption of AI tools
in construction is in support of bid writing. While concerns are already emerging about the ethics of such use, we anticipate that this use will only grow, with systems that analyse customers bid documents and wider policies to craft optimised bid submissions. By inputting the bidders own company information, standard forms will be completed at the click of a finger, allowing bid writers to focus on adding value to the final submission.
» Recruitment
AI will be used as a tool by recruitment teams at companies to interrogate huge volumes of potential employee data to identify potential talent in ways
that are more intelligent than current candidatescreening approaches. By taking the human out of some of these processes, there is also an opportunity to limit the risk of unconscious bias in recruitment. AI may even be engaged in early interviews to pre-screen promising candidates down to a shortlist for face-toface interview.
» Staff development
The role of AI for the workforce doesn’t stop at recruitment. AI can also play an important role in learning and development for employees, both keeping track of their personal development and qualifications, while also designing training plans that are tailored to the individual’s career needs.
