Daily Inspiration: AI & Construction – “Construct your opportunities by demolishing your fears!”

“Construct your opportunities by demolishing your fears!” – Futurist Jim Carroll

Here’s a fun one I’ve got coming up in October!

Five Chicago area construction associations representing unionized workers are bringing me in for a talk on the impact of AI in construction. I’m eager to put into perspective the reality of the future for these hard-working folks – because after all, if you listen to the hype and hysteria, all these folks will be out of work because, well, robots will do their job. What a bunch of crocked-up foolishness!

There’s no doubt that AI will have a pretty significant industry on the construction sector – after all, we know that a lot of new technology is coming to the job site.

I’ve been doing a lot of talks about AI in the construction sector, and a lot is happening – automated masonry and bricklaying, virtualized digital twin software for construction management, design, and planning, and AI-enhanced drone technology for building analysis to name but a few. And no doubt, it’s when we marry AI concepts with robotics that things become interesting in the construction sector; robotic assembly and fabrication are already making their way into the sector in a very significant way.

What is even more fascinating though, will be the arrival of AI construction tools. Right now, we are already seeing the arrival of a lot of digitized construction tools, such as the T1 digital tape measure. Essentially, a traditional tape measure on digital steroids! This type of fascinating technology adheres to one of the most important phrases we need to think about the digitization and introduction of AI into industries – “work smarter, not harder.”

There’s a lot of basic construction equipment like this being enhanced through technology – the industry is being driven by technological change as connectivity and digitization arrive. There is no doubt the next step will be the introduction of AI into such tools – making them digital tools on steroids. The same type of thing is going to happen with large-scale construction equipment – Caterpillar, Kubota, and other organizations will be introducing a lot of AI-based technology into their equipment involving autonomous operation, interaction with other equipment, AI precision placement based on spatial analysis, and a lot of other new capabilities.

All of this will involve new ways of working, interacting, and in essence, constructing. The challenge for the typical construction worker, then, regardless of their field of operation, will be to understand these new capabilities and align with the opportunities they present. The conventional wisdom is that they’ll lose to AI, which isn’t quite real at all – but the fact is, those who learn how to use AI tools will be better positioned than those who refuse to accept this evolution and battle against it.

The key thing is this – if they subscribe to the hysteria that “AI is going to take away all of our jobs,” they’ll be in the wrong frame of mind to pursue the opportunities this new world presents. But if they banish the buzz and don’t let fear drive their actions, they’ll be better positioned for tomorrow.

With that in mind, it’s critical not to let fear drive your actions – banish it, destroy it, remove it from your mindset. That’s part of the story I will share as I take them on this AI voyage. Burn this image into your mind.

Banish fear. Often, it’s the only way to get ahead.