Integrating AI in AEC/O to Enhance Efficiency
Following the time-honored tradition accompanying any major technological breakthrough—from the 15th-century printing press to the democratization of the internet—discussions about AI oscillate between its potential benefits and the risks it may pose.
According to PBC Today, as we have also seen in the past, once the dust has settled, AI will find its niche, whether it’s noticeable at the front end or hidden away at the back end of the services and technologies that we use in the future.
There’s no doubt that bad actors will use AI to their advantage, but events like the AI Safety Summit hosted in the UK last November will unite governments and the technology industry in a joint mission to create guardrails to ensure that, where possible, AI is used to benefit society, rather than compromise it.
Even at this early stage of AI’s evolution, there’s no doubt that the AEC/O industry should be excited about the opportunities that AI presents.
The technology has a role to play in helping the industry cut its carbon emissions and raw material waste through the implement of better ways of designing and constructing buildings.
The good news is that AI – tailored for the construction sector – already exists, although its usage remains somewhat discreet.
While it is less tangible and visible than in architecture or interior design, AI nonetheless represents a significant innovation for the construction industry; and, as the technology evolves and finds more applications where it can add value to our profession, it will become an invaluable part of our essential toolkit.