b'CONSTRUCTION TRENDSETTERSBUILDING SMARTER: HOW AI IS RESHAPING CONSTRUCTIONIndustry leaders unpack the opportunitiesand the cautionsas AI moves from experiment to everyday workflowBy Kelly ParkerAt a breakneck pace, AI tools areprompting. [For instance,] you want toyou a starting point that saves you transforming how the world interactsdesign something and you dont havetime, especially if you alreadywith information, and the constructionthe skill to do the modellingat somehave data.industry is positioned to reap point in the near future, you should beAt the recent Building Conference the benefits.able to ask the tool what you want, andbreakfast panel, Building Big: A AI is being integrated into constructionat least the same way you get a draft ofConversation on Major Public Projects workflows across the spectrum, froman article from ChatGPT, you get a draftin Manitoba, moderator Tom Sparrow, early design modelling and schedulingmodel that you can start with. chief construction officer for the City to risk management and site monitoring.AI tools, led by companies likeof Winnipeg, said, I find that a lot of AI tools hold the promise of reducingSnaptrude and Forma (from Autodesk),what weve done in the past is based overruns and improving productivityprovide the capability to render a fullon assumptions and pre-planning, overall. On the health and safety side,building based on a design program.and I think its really important going AI tools can monitor site conditionsThese tools let you rapidly do aforwardby applying AIthat we and flag hazards in real time, and thoseconcept design with AI, Ikede explains,look at predictive analytics in real time, abilities are all beyond its applicationsand because AI is able to renderwhich will really help us because, as back in the office.images, youre able to move fromwe know, risks evolve based on the massing to rendering, so youre able tovarious phases and stages ofHowever, its not all sunshine and roses;communicate your ideas much fasterthe project.there are pitfalls to avoid, even if one ofthan weve ever seen beforeImOther panellists concurred with that them is falling behind due to failure totalking minutes [versus weeks assessment. As Scott Stephanson, adapt and adopt. or months]. project leader in the Department-Led Victoria Ikede, artificial intelligenceAI tools have been a boon on theCapital Projects Office at Shared design lead at Architecture49, notesdocumentation front, as well. WeHealth, noted, Were looking at AI that beyond AIs applications in all typeshave to follow guidelines and policiesto help access that data to help us of office work, the industry is enteringon the National Building Code or themake decisionsmoving away from into a wave of AI-assisted workflows,Manitoba Building Code, notes Ikede. Excel spreadsheetsto ensure that where we have [tested and tried andAI is good at reading through largewe make decisions moving forward, experimented with] pre-set workflows,bodies of text and providing insights. Ifand as it relates to team-building, etc., and now we are teaching AI to do themyou set up your [ChatGPT or Microsoftmaking sure that were utilizing that for us.Copilot] agent well, AI will help youdata in a prudent way.Ikede cites Autodesk University, whichwith retrieving information, but will alsoThere are a host of other potential has recently announced plans to roll outsort through emails and organizationaldeployments for AI in construction a series of AI assistants, as an example.data, helping you win proposal work byin situ, as well. In a conversation Instead of you learning the tool, yourereading through your previous body ofwith Build Manitoba, Sparrow cites able to interact with the tool throughknowledge of proposals and providing360-degree high-definition cameras, 46 BUILD MANITOBAwinnipegconstruction.ca'