Artificial intelligence and its impact on construction By Mary Van Buren, president for the Canadian Construction Association
I
recently participated in a panel hosted by the Sixth Estate on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on society, and more particularly, on the construction industry.
One of AI’s benefits for the construction industry lies in re-positioning our image When some people think of construction, they think of the guy high up on a building, surrounded by rebar. Or they think of the inconvenience as they wait for the flag woman to wave them through on the road. These are very important jobs. Construction employs 1.4 million Canadians and contributes seven per cent to our GDP. Despite the contribution we make both to the economy and to building our
INNOVATION in our industry
VANCOUVER ISLAND CONSTRUCTION CONFERENCE April 24, 2019 • April 16, 2020
vicaconference.ca Vancouver Island Construction Association
68 Vancouver Island Construction Association 2019
communities, construction is often seen as old school. The industry is adopting technology, and we are working hard to change the perception in order to attract more science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) graduates and tech-savvy workers. Construction itself is a very broad term. The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) represents all facets of construction — from roadbuilders to water treatment specialists to state-of-the-art LEED commercial builders. So, the application of AI can take many forms. There are three problems that AI can help solve for the construction industry. 1. Productivity gains The Canadian construction industry lags other industrialized countries in productivity. Two examples where AI can help are in the use of building information modelling (BIM) software and 3D printers. There is a 3D-printed pedestrian bridge in the Netherlands, and there is experimentation with other structures like housing underway. 2. Life-cycle optimization Projects are becoming more complex and are spanning not just the design and build phase, but the entire lifecycle of the project. In Ottawa, for example, we have the light rail transit (LRT) project that is well advanced. Imagine the data that will be collected over 30 years and potentially the new services that can be created or the intelligence that can be gathered to improve other LRT projects in other Canadian cities or abroad. One of the requirements for AI algorithms is a mass of data. This data can include images. Many new structures, including bridges and commercial buildings, are embedding smart technology/IoT. This data is being streamed constantly and is used to: • Understand the impact of wind on the structure; • Identify any potential structural weaknesses; and • Predict when replacements or repairs need to be made. In other words, fact-based data can complement visual inspections and potentially head off potential issues. 3. Workforce attraction and retention Canada is facing a shortage of workers in many sectors; technology, manufacturing, natural resources and construction. That puts our industry in competition for tech-savvy and skilled workers. The use of AI and its applications, machine learning and robotics, for example, can fill some of this gap.
