Artificial intelligence in construction is rapidly being adopted by businesses of all sizes, and one of the key motivations is to enhance productivity in the face of skills shortages, rising costs, fragmented supply chains and increasing regulatory demands.
But what does this actually mean on a live construction project, and can AI tools really have a significant impact on productivity across your site?
Artificial intelligence in construction can quickly analyse huge volumes of project data, identify patterns and make predictions or recommendations that support decision-making. AI also learns over time, improving its own accuracy and relevance.
In the construction sector, AI is most commonly found in planning and scheduling software, site monitoring and progress tracking, cost forecasting, risk management, document control, compliance and reporting systems.
Where is productivity lost on construction projects?
Common issues that result in a loss of productivity include:
- slow decision-making due to lack of reliable, real-time data
- rework caused by design clashes or late changes
- inefficient sequencing and unrealistic programmes
- time spent on updating reports or finding compliance information
- underutilised labour and plant
These problems frequently affect UK construction projects of all sizes, from residential developments to major infrastructure schemes.
So how can AI boost productivity on construction projects?
Construction AI software can mitigate the issues in several key ways, leading to higher productivity and maximised potential.
Faster, data-driven decision-making
Much of the valuable data that construction projects generate is unused, but AI software can efficiently turn it into actionable insights by finding trends and predicting outcomes.
An AI-driven dashboard can identify emerging risks in cost, programme or quality, prioritise issues that need immediate attention, and make quick well-informed decisions. This in turn can enhance productivity and minimise construction project delays and disruption.
Reduced rework and errors
Rework has an enormous impact on both construction costs and productivity. However, AI-driven tools can flag inconsistencies between design models, drawings and site conditions much earlier in the process.
For example, they have the ability to compare site imagery with BIM models to detect deviations, complete automated checks and highlight missing or conflicting information. This allows you to address issues before they escalate into expensive and time-consuming rework.
Smarter planning and scheduling
AI planning tools analyse historical project data and identify potential issues such as labour availability, site conditions and supply chain risks. They can then suggest programme adjustments before problems arise and quickly test alternative scenarios.
This allows you to create a more realistic programme with fewer on-site disruptions and adherence to your timelines.
Improved compliance and reduced admin
Completing compliance checks, undertaking reporting and creating and logging documentation are all arduous but vital tasks that use a lot of administrative resource.
The good news is, AI can automate many of these routine jobs, such as sorting and tagging documents, tracking inspections and approvals and generating progress and compliance reports. And this frees up a significant amount of time for site and project teams to focus on productive and value-adding work.
Improved use of labour and plant
AI software can analyse productivity data to highlight where labour or equipment is underutilised – and this is especially relevant in the UK construction industry as we continue to face a skills shortage.
By understanding how resources are actually being used and where they would be most effective, contractors can allocate labour more efficiently, match skills appropriately to tasks and reduce downtime for plant and machinery. This has the potential to enhance productivity across all areas of your construction project which will have a significant impact on the result.