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The big question today running across many professions at almost every level is, “Will AI take my job?” Perhaps the better question might be, “Can AI help me do my job better?” In other words, rather than replacing humans, can AI empower them?

When it comes to the design, engineering and construction management of projects, AI is destined to play an important role. There are numerous improvements the technology might make in its various forms.

René Morkos, founder and CEO of ALICE Technologies, scheduling is an area in construction that has seen the greatest AI-powered innovation.

“AI technology can now help contractors create and test various different construction schedules to find the most efficient way to build.”

Morkos describes a process called “construction optioneering,” through which schedule options can be simulated in order to test what happens when certain variables are adjusted. He offers examples such as the choice between quick drying concrete versus traditional concrete and how this change of material might impact schedule duration.

Or, how would to use of reusable formwork affect time and cost?

“Experimenting with options in this way would enable users to make data-driven decisions about exactly how they’ll build.”

Taking this further, he explains how, by using an AI platform’s “what if” analysis capabilities, contractors can refine the most promising options and test-tune schedules to maximize the probability of hitting target delivery date and thereby avoid delay penalties.

The ability of AI to help contractors simulate construction scenarios extends to the pre-bid stage, helping them determine how much resources are actually required to do the job being offered so they  then submit what might be a winning bid.

However, Morkos cautions AI isn’t a magic bullet. Its effectiveness depends on the quality of data it receives. The technology can’t fix disorganized processes, scattered input or disconnected teams.

Many onsite trades are experiencing a shortage of skilled workers, particularly as retirements within the existing workforce increase while demand grows for complex projects like data centres and health care facilities.

AI software provider Augmenta takes the example of electrical contractors and how they need to address efficiency gaps when field teams wait as designs are awaiting completion.

“To put it simply, electrical contractors are leaking efficiencies everywhere,” the company .  “But it’s not their fault. It’s the result of fragmented workflows, redundant and manual processes and outdated modelling approaches and technology stacks that leave a majority of the work drawn manually in the software… AI can help automate not only electrical planning, estimating and project management but also electrical system design.”

Augmenta explains AI tools can automatically generate raceway designs to cut down on manual effort by editing and refining on the fly without having to start from scratch, and streamline the design-to-prefab transition, thereby reducing redundant work among estimating, operations and virtual design and construction teams.

“AI-powered routing and co-ordination synchronizes teams through a shared, cloud-based model that lets everyone work from the same data. Teams can work together to evaluate dozens of design possibilities in real-time and pinpoint the solutions that present the biggest opportunities for constructability, efficiency and cost savings.”

In fact, co-ordination across all project partners is a challenge, given the mass of documentation that needs to be shared.

Paul Zeckser, co-founder and CEO of , describes how weekly calls between several dozen people might have been the standard process of addressing errors and omissions as they occur. However, double-work is an expensive contingency that contractors are forced to carry and simply isn’t good enough anymore.

Zeckser says AI platforms like those offered by his company, “allow builders and designers to perform ‘premortems’ on projects to identify potential issues before buildings go vertical.”

AI tools can not only catch mistakes and “rank risk,” he says, but also serve as a workflow management tool, “allowing people to collaborate asynchronously to identify problems in real time and create accountability.”

However, not everyone is comfortable with the rise of AI in their profession. In an , Chris Williamson, the incoming president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, fears, “in five years’ time, 10 years’ time, everybody could be an architect. Anybody that can use a computer will be able to describe what they want and generate designs. It’s already happening.”

He goes on to say while there will always likely be a call for human-led designs, “the stark reality of this is that it could mean a drastic reduction in the amount of work for human architects.”

He compares the fate of the architectural profession to that of vinyl records. While some still enjoy the sound and experience, sales aren’t what they used to be.

Williamson’s concerns take some form in the facade on the banks of Shanghai’s Huangpu River in China.

Although not given full creative license, architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) assigned AI specific tasks within certain fixed parameters for matters ranging from site dimensions to the height of meeting rooms.

From there, SOM then developed algorithms such as those concerning occupant views, floor space maximization and the amount of sunlight hitting the façade. AI took it from there, producing hundreds, even thousands, of potential solutions. The result is a stunning dark, diamond-like structure that glitters by day and turns inky black after sunset.

While the introduction of AI into construction is inevitable, industry players could learn from the old expression, “It isn’t what you know; it’s who you know.”

AI could be that new “who.”

John Bleasby is a freelance writer. Send comments and Inside Innovation column ideas to editor@dailycommercialnews.com.