AI will Shape Up India’s Construction Landscape

Amidst the apprehensions of the global pandemic, technology has proven to be inevitable and indispensable. Technological progress has brought in a sea change in our daily lives and work culture. Simultaneously, diverse applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have opened up numerous possibilities in various businesses. Through these technologies, information technology (IT) has proven to be cost-effective across myriad industries – big and small both. Automation and ML have significantly shaped the new and upcoming ventures in different sectors of the economy, and the construction industry is no exception.

Presently, every construction company is anticipating new technologies to impact the industry in an unprecedented manner. An incredible range of developments – from cloud-based collaboration to artificial intelligence (AI) - is poised to help and improve how buildings and infrastructure are developed in India.

“Platforms have a major role to play in how businesses operate in the future. Just like the introduction of machines and the first wave of computing, early adopters stand to gain while laggards will suffer under legacy thinking and technology. The more people and processes that can be brought online on one network and on one platform, the greater the business benefits will be.” — FORBES

Top reasons where leading construction companies and other businesses prefer a construction management platform are

INTEGRATED DATA

All information is in one central location, not scattered across various systems.

END-TO-END VISIBILITY

Consolidated data means businesses have a comprehensive view of projects and teams.

STREAMLINED CUSTOMER SUPPORT

Teams only have to call one provider for support, saving endless hours and headaches.

CONSISTENT INTERFACE

One system improves implementation, boosts adoption, and reduces training costs.

The Indian construction industry contributes immensely to the nation’s GDP. Therefore, any developments occurring within this landscape is bound to impact the GDP growth as well. Moreover, the government estimates that India is touted to be the third-largest construction market in the world by 2030. Also, since the sector is the second largest employer after agriculture, it is expected to recruit over 75 million people by 2022.

The major trends that AI technology is expected to introduce in the construction sector are:

AI and Digitisation in Construction

Reports have shown that AI and ML are expected to play a critical role in the functioning of the construction industry. Introducing AI will enable a quick generation of optimal and feasible alternatives for building design, identify the most relevant options for a construction project, and AI-generated models can drastically help shorten decision-making cycles. In addition, AI can be extensively used in risk mitigation, lend support for off-site construction and effective project planning.

Cloud Collaboration

Effective and proper communication is a pre-requisite for the successful execution of any project, even more in the case of real estate projects that are much more complex and involve the huge number of people. Majority construction projects are heavily fragmented as different teams work in silos, often with very poor synchronization. In such a case, cloud-based collaboration can be a long-term effective solution which can address this gap efficiently. The job sites that are connected use cloud technology to help engineers, site developers, and contractors manage their processes via a singular, always-connected cloud-based platform.

Robots at Construction Sites

Using robots in the construction industry is no more just a visual revelation; rather the industry is facing a constantly increasing pressure to construct quickly and so, robots are reliable and useful in this regard. The pressure is fuelling the demand for using different kinds of robots such as logistics robots, autonomous drones and building automation. The Indian government is expected to invest over $13 billion in robotics to boost the adoption of robots in construction.

Always-on & Connected Construction

An essential element of smart city infrastructure is the Internet of Things (IoT). Sensors connected with internet can monitor and manage in real-time the critical urban resources – electric systems, water and sewage. In construction, IoT is usually used for monitoring machines placed on the site floor and also for tracking the progress of work. Enhanced analytics can collect and assess data from sensors to understand signals and patterns for real-time solutions.

AI Application in the Pre-Construction Phase

Like in every other sector, enhanced data transparency and standardisation are vital. The construction industry is the one involving high stakes and high rewards, where the ability to predict outcomes is quite invaluable and AI can do the same for it. The advanced AI technology can enable ‘smart construction’ via drone surveys, 3D models and mapping, extracting blueprints, improving quality of construction, simulating construction plans and forecasting critical events and project risks. This can also help identify dangerous spots and practices on the site.

Summing Up

The sooner construction firms make data interoperable and invoke necessary standards, the faster buyers, real estate firms, and investors will be able to reap AI’s benefits. Overall, these trends will empower the Indian construction industry to adopt a digitally connected, cloud collaborated and data-driven construction in the foreseeable future.

Sunny Vohra, Director, and CTO, Tracecost