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Gena, who works as a consultant for Shirley Parsons Project Services, was recently invited to The London Build Expo 2023 and join a panel of experts, hosted by Elvin K. Box MCIOB MBA, chair of the LCEC, to discuss the latest portable AI tech.
Here's his key takeaways from the conversation:
Computervision.
Capturing images of objects, people, processes, landscapes, defects, conditions - AI "instructed" by construction professionals will do the leg work in collecting and analysing data, producing accurate reports of historical events and reliable predictions of what's going to happen next. This will be useful for safety, productivity management, quality control, and is advanced assurance at low cost.
Large language models and decision support systems.
Solutions similar to ChatGPT that will dramatically reduce the time required by organisations to manage tenders and bidding, assess project feasibility within set parameters, manage change and manage risk. Construction professionals will still be making all the decisions, but the AI will do the bulk of data analysis and produce recommendations.
AI in design.
AI models will become progressively more capable to design elements of structures, assemble system components and ultimately produce whole building designs and integrate with BIM workflows.
What are the skill gaps the industry needs to breach to realise the potential of AI?
For each profession in Construction, the professional should look at the real world around them as a combination of "people, materials and data". They need to realise that for every job and function, there are data sets that can be: a). captured, b). analysed by AI and c). used to speed up deliverables and predict outcomes.
Ultimately, AI can make every job much more efficient, and ultimately benefit the end users and the society as a whole . In order to do this, the skills they need to work on first includes basic awareness of what is "data", "information" and "knowledge" and; technical skills on "training the AI" to handle your data sets and produce the outcomes that you need.
He says:
"If you had a magic wand, what would you make happen for us to realise the potential of AI in our industry? A regulatory framework for AI technology: laws, regulations and ISO/BS standards? An industry-led professional development scheme on AI technology for construction professionals."