How AI is Revolutionizing the Construction Industry in 2024

Technology is moving fast in the construction industry, touching all areas of the field. From the digital transformation of the design process to new pre construction estimation software, scheduling, predictive analytics, asset management and more; new construction technology companies and startups are shaking up the industry at an exciting pace. With these new technologies and industry-wide digital transformation comes data – and lots of it.

With that data, opportunities for AI emerge across the entire project lifecycle:

In this article, we will provide an overview of AI use-cases from top construction firms in 2024. 

First, some key definitions

Within the AI space and its applications for construction, three areas, in particular, are emerging as critically important to solving the industry’s biggest challenges: data strategy, machine vision, and intelligent document processing.

Data strategy is vital to every organization as it helps identify highly valuable data and connects this data to fulfilling the core objectives of the company.  This enables business leaders to manage data more like valuable assets – than byproducts of business activity – and it drives competitive advantage.

Data strategy is based on two dimensions: 1) Core business strategy, including goals and objectives; 2) The state of the business’ data assets. By understanding 1 and 2, a firm can devise a future state (“what success looks like”) and a roadmap for how to get there including non-technical components like organizational design and governance. Read more about examples of data strategy in action, and how you can optimize your company’s data usage.  

Machine vision is the capability of a computer to visually perceive the environment. Immense amounts of images and video data are too time-consuming for humans to process. Machine vision leverages the latest technologies and methods to inspect and analyze visual data so it can be used in inquiries and controls, processes, and other applications reliant on accurate “sight.”  This includes object detection, object tracking, and activity tracking in both real-time and retrospective capacities, for a variety of purposes, including the following: project management, scheduling, health & safety, audit & compliance, and more. Learn more about machine vision here.

Intelligent document processing (IDP) is a new AI-driven approach to automating the categorization of documents, extracting data from documents, and creating documents. IDP is used to turn data from these documents, including unstructured data (text, video, images, and more) into a structured format for rapid and accurate processing and information retrieval and vice versa. An IDP model is tailored to the unique environment and document handling needs of a particular organization. IDP is actively applied in healthcare, financial services, insurance, supply chain, and legal industries today and has enormous potential for applications across the entire construction industry.

Artificial Intelligence Construction Use Cases in 2024

In general, AI is best for addressing the following kinds of business challenges:

• Automating repetitive tasks

• Generating useful insights from large volumes of data

• Predicting outcomes

• Optimizing processes

INDUSTRY LEADERS ARE EMERGING FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC FOCUSED ON INNOVATING FASTER AND RESPONDING BETTER TO FUTURE CHALLENGES AND AI CAN HELP

Savvy construction professionals are leveraging existing tools, site camera data, and applying analytics to optimize productivity, maximize profits, and ensure health and safety compliance. AI is at the forefront of these transformational strategies. 

OpenSpace is an AI product used by industry innovators like Swinerton to automate jobsite surveillance and generate large amounts of image data. OpenSpace is an app that connects to any camera, and then allows construction workers to simply walk around the job site to generate thousands of images of jobsite progress for analysis both for efficiency and work site safety [1]. 

Essential to any successful AI project in construction is having a robust dataset. With data, opportunities emerge – from design management to preconstruction, prefabrication, construction, resource and equipment management, operations, scheduling and staffing, health and safety compliance, and project retrospectives. 

Indus.ai supplies AI-powered solutions geared towards analyzing visual data like images and videos into actionable insights. Industry leader Procore partners with Indus.ai to make their sites not only efficient and cost-effective, but also safe for their workers [2]. 

Here at Synaptiq, we developed a machine vision solution to help keep jobsites running smoothly and safely. Our model tracks movement on site, alerts the appropriate personnel when a shipment arrives, warns supervisors when a worker isn’t wearing personal protective equipment, and more. Read more about our project here. 

It’s now or never for the construction industry to embrace innovation. Construction companies want to win contracts and raise their profit margins. AI can serve these goals synergistically by empowering construction companies and their clients with more accurate cost estimations and safer worksites.

Ready to empower your construction business and projects with AI solutions? Contact us, so we can help you make your vision a reality.

Photo by Mathew Henry on Unsplash 

About Synaptiq

Synaptiq is an AI and data science consultancy based in Portland, Oregon. We collaborate with our clients to develop human-centered products and solutions. We uphold a strong commitment to ethics and innovation. 

Contact us if you have a problem to solve, a process to refine, or a question to ask.

You can learn more about our story through our past projects, blog, or podcast.