b'30 TECHNOLOGY & RESEARCHcontinuedfrom pg. 29start-up company called Blue River Technology, aprocesses can improve construction operations, but grassroots effort started by two graduate students.most interestingly is how it can address construction Thefoundersbeganbymanuallytakingpictureslaborshortages.Itmayseemcounterintuitiveto inthefieldwithhandheldcamerastotraintheirsuggestleveragingatechnologythatmanyfear AI model, then started selling their product to onewillreplaceconstructionjobstoaddresslabor farmer at a time. Blue River developed and fieldedshortages.real-timeautonomousagriculturerobotsthatsee and spray. Its natural to be concerned about job displacement due to AI, especially when you consider how robotics These tractor attachments use computer vision thatandautomationsystemshavealreadydisplaced combinescamerasandalgorithmstodistinguishmillions of jobs, 1.7 million in manufacturing since between weeds and crops, and sprays herbicides2000.on only the weeds. This AI-enhanced technology reducedchemicalusagebymorethan90%,However,itsimportanttorememberhowANIis resulting in tremendous cost savings. John Deeregenerallyonlycapableofcarryingoutspecific ultimately acquired Blue River for $305 million inandcontrolledfunctions.Unlikemanufacturing, 2017. constructionprojectsusuallyinvolvebuilding something that has never been built in the exact The Business Value of AI sameway,andinadynamicandconstantly changing environment.TheglobalAImarketisprojectedtoincrease byacompoundannualgrowthrate(CAGR)ofAlongwithinstallingmaterialsbyutilizingskills 39.4%,reachingroughly$422billionby2028.developed from years of experience, skilled trade Dedicated to keeping its members at the forefront in their industryMany industries, including construction, recognizeworkersexecutetasksthatinvolveintuition,split opportunities to increase efficiency and profitabilityseconddecisionmaking,creativity,flexibletask byleveragingthistool.Asix-yeardataseriesreorientationandinteractivecommunication.We conducted by IBM revealed that early adopters of AIhave potentially hundreds of years before machines reported operating cost savings related to processare equipped with an AGI capable of simulating the efficiency, supply chain and production optimization,humanintelligenceandbehaviorsnecessaryto andlaborefficiency.Companiesinvolvedinthisreplace skilled construction labor.studyreported6.3percentagepointsofdirect revenue gains directly attributable to AI on average. Addressing Labor Challenges by Complementing Human SkillsEngineering and construction (E&C) leaders predict that AI will have an immense impact on the industry.Constructionlaborchallengeshaveplaguedthe JamesBarret,chiefinnovationofficerforTurnerindustry for more than 100 years. These challenges Construction, told Construction Dive that Artificialremain pervasive today and appear to be getting intelligence will transform the industry in the nextworse.Theresawideninggapbetweenworkers 10 years more than any other technology has inexiting and entering the workforcethere are fewer the past century. In other words, the widespreadyoung professionals entering the market to replace adoptionofAI-enhancedoperationalprocessesa retiring generation.may transform from a competitive advantage to a necessity for staying competitive. Meanwhile, construction productivity is decreasing thenumberofworkersrequiredperdollarof Enhancing Labor, Not Replacing It construction put in place is increasing as the value of work decreases. These labor-related challenges There are countless examples of how AI-enhancedcontribute to contractors feeling like theyre doing continuedon pg. 31The InsulatorMarch 2024'