# Event Highlight: Great Lakes Construction Associations — Where AI Meets the Future of Construction
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The construction industry has an AI problem. It is not a lack of interest. It is the opposite. There is so much discussion, hype and speculation that it can be difficult for contractors and industry leaders to understand what is real today, what is emerging and what is still years away. That was the challenge the Great Lakes Construction Associations asked me to address. My keynote, “Where AI Meets the Future of Construction,” was designed to draw that line more clearly. AI will increasingly support planning, analysis, documentation, knowledge access and operating decisions. Robotics will continue to move from highly fixed automation toward more flexible systems capable of working alongside people. Digital twins make it possible to simulate assets, projects and operating decisions before physical work occurs. Drones and machine vision improve inspection, progress tracking, measurement and visibility. Connected sensors and predictive systems create new ways to identify safety risks before incidents occur. And all of this changes the skills required across the construction workforce. Some of these capabilities are very real today. Others will take time. The important thing is not to confuse the timing. Organizations make two mistakes with emerging technology. The first is to believe every promise and chase every trend. The second is to dismiss the entire trend because some of the promises are premature. Both approaches are dangerous. The better response is to learn, experiment and prepare. That was the line I emphasized to the audience: Do not confuse today’s hype with tomorrow’s impact. You do not need to deploy every technology today. But you do need to build enough understanding and experience that you are ready when a technology crosses the line from interesting to operational. Construction will become smarter, safer and more data-driven. The organizations that win will be the ones that understand not only what is coming, but when it becomes useful. Read the full keynote case study, or explore more event highlights.

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Source: https://jimcarroll.com/2024/10/event-highlight-great-lakes-construction-associations-2024/