How Will AI Affect Construction Workers?

AI in construction can be a polarizing subject. A deep dive into the comment section on Reddit does a great job at exemplifying this.There’s the hostile construction workers who are something like this: “AI can’t do what I do. It will never be able to replace my years of experience or intuition. At the end of the day, I’m the one responsible for getting the job done” Then there’s a more welcoming sentiment with people who are already using tools like ChatGPT to speed up “boring tasks” like contract writing, follow up emails, specs, cover pages and proposals.

AI Enhances Jobs

Right now construction labor demand is at an all time high and there’s a shortage of available workers. What we do know is AI is increasing productivity on construction sites by as high as 8x in some cases. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the field or in the office, AI saves time for everyone. In the near future AI is expected to compliment workers, not replace them.

Estimating / Takeoffs

Some of the first sectors to get automated in construction are estimating and takeoffs. Companies like Togal.AI make takeoffs 80% faster with an overall accuracy of 98%. It uses cloud integration that allows multiple users to work on the same project at the same time and also has a ChatGPT Integration. As someone who’s done takeoffs for roofing material in a former life, this sounds amazing. It was extremely time consuming and if I underestimated material, customers were always upset.

Drones

Drones are being used for a multitude of applications in construction. Insurance companies prefer to send drones over damaged roofs now because it’s quicker and safer. AI can distinguish between storm damage and old age. A human operator still goes in and reviews the drone report. One of the greatest advantages is the increased accuracy over an in person inspection. High volume contractors use the same drone software in storm zones.

AI Will Open New Doors

With new technology and protocols being adopted, workers in the field will have to adapt. This will create new opportunities for construction workers to level up their skills and find new technical and advanced job roles.

Optimization

AI can help optimize schedules for workers, identify hazards and use historical data to make better decisions on job sites. The human touch or boots on the ground is still critical to get a job done, but workers can now use AI to work smarter and not harder!

AI Helps Construction Workers Get their Job Done

AI helps construction workers get their jobs done faster and easier than ever before. Robots are not yet here to take our jobs, but AI is here to enhance them.

AI allows workers to: