Harnessing AI processes to drive innovation

What impact is digital tech having on the construction sector?

The construction sector is quite a traditional industry and a lot of the processes and approaches have been well established for a long time. Because of this, digital tech is having a very big impact on our industry, perhaps more so than some others.

It is providing a challenge to improve, evolve and innovate using technology – helping us drive efficiencies for our customers and opening-up new ways for us to develop and enhance the buildings of the future. It is providing opportunity to reassess the way our industry works, helping us streamline existing manual processes and introduce new roles, data and insights that we have never had before.

What impact could digital tech and AI have on the construction sector in the future?

The opportunities are endless!

In the short/medium term it is about automation, efficiency and innovation. From relatively simple things like digitalising manual processes, reducing the cost of error in our industry and allowing our customers to visualise and experience buildings before they are constructed. With AI in particular, it isn’t something you can just implement easily into an industry or organisation, it takes time and experimentation to really unlock the benefits.

It is a matter of clearly identifying the opportunities to streamline and automate tasks, for example, that are time consuming and require a lot of detail and data – AI can help to save time and reduce the risk of human error – this all means that in the future we should be able to ensure people are working on the really valuable tasks that have the biggest benefit to our services and customers. Looking ahead further, with technology evolving as it is, IBM predicts our cities will be sentient in five years’ time, using technology to learn and predict our needs.

What does that mean for the skills required for our people in the construction industry? We need to adapt and evolve quickly to keep up with the pace of change and disruption.

What are the opportunities and challenges of embracing digital tech in the construction sector?

One of the big challenges is upskilling our workforce and giving them the knowledge and confidence to really take full advantage of the digital tools out there. Our people at Willmott Dixon are fantastic problem solvers and are empowered to innovate, but without the skills in the digital space our industry could be at risk of not being able to adapt quickly enough. There is a big need for senior leaders to embrace this digital revolution, it’s a huge opportunity for those that do.

The need for investing in R&D and providing a ‘safe space to fail’ in order to drive innovation is going to be key to how quickly we change the way we work for the better. Also, attracting new talent to the industry is fundamental, different skills are now needed – there are roles available that simply didn’t exist a few years ago and these will continue to develop.

What are the implications for attracting young talent?

The implications are really positive because the construction industry is changing. It is becoming more diverse in terms of the people joining and the roles available. It is a great time for people to consider a career in construction. Construction is no longer just hard hats and muddy boots as we know it is often viewed, but now needs skilled digital managers, AI experts, transformation and innovation specialists to work hand-in-hand with our experienced workforce. The options are ever increasing and those who get involved now have the chance to build an incredibly exciting career.

How much investment is needed in skills to maximise potential of tech in the construction sector?

A lot of investment is needed and this shouldn’t be underestimated, both in terms of people’s time and financially. Our industry does need to put the time and investment in and also be open minded to change. There seems to still be quite a divide between people working in IT and digital teams and roles and those on the ground in the operational construction space, these need to come together and quickly. Many of our people working in the industry need support to understand how technology can help them, it shouldn’t be seen as a threat, it is there to empower people, make it easier to deliver quality for our customers faster and more efficiently.

How big a role can tech play in making construction techniques more sustainable?

I think there is really big opportunity here. One of the main things which will help make us more sustainable is the huge amounts of data we have access to when using more digital tools. This drives insights and more intelligent decision making, helping to show where and how we can improve. We have already seen how tech has reduced the need for travel and therefore carbon, and are now looking at more detailed insights about how we measure the carbon output of our entire IT estate. In terms of construction techniques from better planning and visualisation tools reducing reworking, waste and time to a better understanding of how a building ultimately behaves in terms of carbon output and lifecycle, there are many ways we can and are becoming more sustainable through technology.