Authored by Burcin Kaplanoglu (Oracle Industry Labs) and Rich Humphrey (Contruent) with Andy Verone (Contruent)
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the thing everyone’s talking about.
It’s discussed around the dinner table, debated in LinkedIn posts, featured in webinars, and has earned a spot in business meeting agendas.
AI is also a hot topic in the construction industry. AI-enabled technologies have already helped some construction companies improve efficiency and jobsite safety, and there’s growing interest in their potential to solve construction challenges.
AI’s Potential Applications in Construction
Construction companies want and need more reliable, trustworthy, and higher-quality data. AI offers massive possibilities for the industry, and they all center around data—its capture, quality, management, and insights.
Think of AI as more of an enabling technology, often used with underlying technologies such as natural language processing and computer vision to capture, manage, and analyze data more effectively.
If we look at some of the potential applications of AI in the construction space, especially around project controls, we can see how vital data really is:
- Construction managers have a vested interest in better predicting project outcomes right from the beginning. Think of how AI—via machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP)—could be used to leverage the goldmine of data from past projects. As it mines and analyzes that information for patterns and trends, it could also help more accurately predict cost and timeline outcomes and spot potential risks, all based on that historical data.
- Closely tied to outcomes is performance optimization. How can we use AI to better track progress and feed that into systems through technologies like computer vision and BIM modeling? These can help deliver more precise tracking and data collection, offering visibility into real-time progress, as well as potential delays and overruns.
- Consider, too, construction productivity levels that have long been relatively stagnant. One contributing factor is the multitude of workflows and tasks that project teams are constantly engaged in. Where things typically get bogged down is when attempting to access the information needed to complete tasks. Instead, everything could be streamlined with AI-powered chatbots that may serve as a better interface to pull information more quickly and efficiently, giving productivity a much-needed boost.
- Let’s take that concept of efficiency a step further. Traditional data analysis methods to uncover project insights can be time-consuming and effort-intensive. What if we sped things up a bit? We could use NLP or a chatbot to ask questions like, “What tasks or activities are at risk of falling behind?” or “Are any projects showing signs of exceeding costs?” Once prompted, AI can interpret and surface the requested data, helping drive critical decisions to optimize cost and risk management, for example
AI Capabilities That Could Be Game-Changers for Construction
A lot is happening in the AI space, and construction professionals are undoubtedly wondering which AI technologies represent the best opportunities for their capital projects.
In our opinion, machine learning, computer vision, and large language models are the most exciting and could very well be game changers. They’ve been around both in construction and in other industries, so why these and why now?
Machine learning
Machine learning has been around for a long time, but the adoption rate has been rising over the last decade. Companies are recognizing the massive opportunities around what can be done with existing data and how to harness it for proactive cost management. ML’s strength is in its predictive capabilities. With its ability to evaluate large volumes of data—including for megaprojects—and spot patterns and trends, it can be used to help forecast how costs and schedules may be affected by everything from inadequate resource allocation and utilization to the impact of known risk factors.
Computer vision
Computer vision is the connection between the back office and the jobsite. It recognizes construction objects, counts components within them, tracks and reports on job progress, and transmits the nearly real-time data it captures to project controls systems. Its accuracy isn’t quite 100%, but it’s edging its way there, improving over time.
Large language models
Large language models are taught to recognize text data so they can comprehend and respond using text that humans understand. As this technology matures, this ability to “talk” with project data is opening up new ways to run projects. The goal is to train it to understand and identify the language we use in construction, especially as we build new industry-specific technologies. As it learns, it should be better able to process construction plans, reports, and communications, while also providing the answers and insights needed to better manage projects.
12 Months from Now, What Will the AI Headline Be?
Given how fast AI is evolving, not just as a technology but its use in construction, we see two separate but related headlines.
One will be how widely it’s being adopted. We expect to start seeing a lot of adoption of AI technology itself, sometimes without stakeholders even realizing that certain technologies are run by AI. What we mean is that AI will simply be embedded into more and more everyday applications.
The other headline we expect to see is one about how AI is finding its way into almost every construction software we have. But similar to our previous point, these integrations will be very subtle; users won’t always know that AI drives their workflows.
Today’s Talk About AI Is Only the Beginning
When you think back to where we were with artificial intelligence even two years ago, who knew we’d be having these kinds of conversations today?
We’ve only scratched the surface. We expect AI technology will continue to advance rapidly, potentially unlocking new applications in construction that we can’t foresee. Throughout this AI evolution, construction cost management software will continue to be a foundation for successful project delivery. Combining the two has the potential to improve how companies leverage data, streamline workflows, and deliver projects more efficiently.
Contruent Enterprise, Contruent’s lifecycle cost management solution, can integrate with AI-enabled technologies to achieve these outcomes. Learn more or request a demo.
About the Authors
Burcin Kaplanoglu, Head of Oracle Industry Labs, Oracle
Dr. Burcin Kaplanoglu is a recognized industry technologist, innovator, thought leader and keynote speaker. He is the Co-Founder and Head of Oracle Industry Labs, which supports Oracle Vertical Industries.
Kaplanoglu has been recognized by LinkedIn as one of their Top Voices for sharing developments in AI, robotics, 5G and other emerging technologies.
He was named one of Engineering News Record (ENR)’s “Top 20 Under 40” in 2016 and was most recently recognized as one of ENR’s 2022 Top 25 Newsmakers. Kaplanoglu was acknowledged as one of the “BuiltWorlds 2020 Mavericks” in the Technologists category and as one of the 7 “AEC Innovators” by BD+C magazine.
Rich Humphrey, Chief Product Officer, Contruent
With over two decades of experience in product management, Rich holds a deep understanding of the construction industry and significant expertise in software development. From high-rise buildings and computer hardware to SaaS / Mobile software solutions, he has successfully built and launched solutions that have had a critical impact on businesses and customers.
In his previous role as the VP of Product Management for Bentley Construction, Rich led the company’s construction strategy and drove its execution, resulting in a 400% increase in ARR. In addition to his impressive track record as a product management and marketing leader, Rich also has vast experience in Building and Infrastructure industries to drive sustainable design, construction technology innovation and BIM/VDC.
Andy Verone, Chief Strategy Officer, Contruent
With over 35 years of industry experience, Andy joins Contruent with a strong track record of executing innovative strategies, leading cross-functional teams and transforming businesses.
With a deep understanding of the customer experience, Andy has worked to accelerate technology adoption and technological growth in every role. Prior to joining Contruent as Chief Strategy Officer, Andy served as Global Vice President at Oracle, overseeing M&A activities, shaping product strategies and co-founding Oracle’s Vertical Industry labs.
His industry knowledge and breadth of experience across teams will be a critical asset as Contruent grows, innovates and transforms projects for clients globally.