How Are Builders Adopting AI?

A panel session during the 2023 National Institute of Building Sciences Building Innovation conference explored the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance everyday construction operations. Not only are builders slowly but surely getting onboard the AI train, but the U.S. government is also showing interest in AI use-cases in construction. 

Companies such as Consigli, a general contractor, are already leveraging AI to improve precision, performance, and materials management, Construction Dive reports. Panelists discussed AI’s ability to generate accurate ceiling plans and optimize material use, bringing greater efficiency to construction processes. Additionally, AI tools like ChatGPT are being employed for tasks such as summarizing complex documents to streamline planning efforts.

The general contractor identified precision, performance and materials as three areas where AI is already providing impact, said Roger Grant, vice president of building technology at NIBS.

For example, with precision, Grant said ceiling plans are challenging for design teams. But a computer can generate a very accurate ceiling plan, or mechanical room space, he said.

“In buildings, there’s a lot of materials that go into a 20,000-square-foot building. There’s, for example, 3.6 kilometers of piping or cable trays, or 17 kilometers of pipe, and so we can use AI to reduce material usage,” said Grant. “The idea is that AI augments what the designer does to identify what the requirements are and then uses AI to optimize. That’s the main idea.”

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