The dangers and benefits of Artificial Intelligence in the construction Industry.

Image 1- Automated warehouses (Acharya, N., 2024)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to have conquered the world and changed it beyond restoration. While it boasts several benefits that will inevitably make our lives easier, several concerns and dangers shine a new light on AI, making it seem more threatening and menacing, now than ever before. This has hit many industries hard, including the construction industry, which has so far, both, gained and suffered as a result of the AI takeover.

Many opportunities arise with the integration of AI, such as: increased efficiency and accuracy, job creation and transformation, knowledge-based systems, machine learning, and automated planning and scheduling. (Abioye, S. et al. 2021).

Thanks to AI, there has been an improved accuracy and efficiency for all of the autonomous jobs, difficult physical tasks and specialised tasks, which have been given to robots and AI machinery to perform (Pollock, A., 2023). Many jobs have been created, which require high-skilled workers for developing areas, such as: data science, AI ethics, machine learning and computer interaction; these will quickly become second-nature and used around the world, as well as the current main uses of technology in the construction industry- CAD (Computer Aided Design), BIM (Building Information Modelling) and 3D modelling (Pollock, A., 2023). Jobs have also been transformed as a result of AI, in terms of assisting professionals in decision-making and strategic planning by augmenting human capabilities and integrating them into existing human-run jobs (Pollock, A., 2023). AI has evolved so much that it is now capable of learning from past data/ mistakes in order to improve- something which, until recently, was exclusive to only humans (Abioye, S. et al. 2021). If that wasn't terrifying enough, computer vision has also been developed, which allows machines to mimic human intelligence by artificially simulating human visual systems (Abioye, S et al. 2021). Schedules and plans can also be automated in order to help achieve the desired goal by carefully selecting actions and making decisions that provide the best outcome given the constraints (Abioye, S et al. 2021).

However, there are also challenges which are created because of AI, such as: loss of jobs, security risks, data ownership and licensing and high initial costs. One of the biggest risks is the mass loss of low-skilled jobs- where in the UK, 1.5 million jobs are at risk (Pollock, A. 2023). Robots and automation have taken over many warehouses and fired many individuals, who kept the industry running strong for several decades. With the integration of AI, comes great security risks, as well as data ownership and licensing (Bolpagni, M & Bartoletti, I. 2021). Therefore, a lot of care is required to ensure that all the company data is securely kept and maintained, which can require a lot of time and high costs. There are also high initial costs for AI to be integrated into a company (Bolpagni, M & Bartoletti, I. 2021). Therefore, for some smaller companies this is not feesable and, although it would be an investment, could also backfire if there is not enough funding to maintain these AI systems.

Like most things, AI has many advantages and disadvantages and whether it is worth it or not simply depends on the individual circumstances. AI also brings to light several important issues and emerging trends, such as: cybersecurity, augmented reality, quantum computing and future/ smart cities (Abioye, S et al. 2021). Analysing these can help stop future problems and issues; so, AI isn't all bad... right?

References:

Abioye, S. O., Oyedele, L. O., Akanbi, L., Ajayi, A., Delgado, J. M. D., Bilal, M., ... & Ahmed, A. (2021). Artificial intelligence in the construction industry: A review of present status, opportunities and future challenges. Journal of Building Engineering, 44, 103299. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352710221011578

Acharya, N., 2024. https://fulfillmentiq.com/revolutionizing-warehousing-robotics-automation/

Bolpagni, M., & Bartoletti, I. (2021, October). Artificial intelligence in the construction industry: adoption, benefits and risks. In Proc. of the Conference CIB W (Vol. 78, pp. 11-15).

Pollock, A., (2023, May 24). The impacts of Artificial Intelligence on the Built Environment. RICS. https://www.rics.org/news-insights/the-impacts-of-artificial-intelligence-on-the-built-environment