The construction sector is well-acquainted with significant transformations. From the widespread adoption of BIM to the transition from paper-based to digital plans and documents, as well as the increasing utilization of mobility and cloud collection, the industry has consistently embraced change. While these changes have presented their fair share of challenges, the construction industry has effectively addressed these obstacles, propelling advancements in processes and attaining heightened levels of efficiency.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is crucial for automating processes and effectively bridging the gap between the physical and digital realms across various fields such as science, technology, and engineering. The worldwide AI market was valued at US$93.53 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach an impressive US$997.77 billion by 2028 (Howarth, 2021).
Although the concept of AI-driven technology in the construction industry may seem daunting, it is important to recognize that these intelligent tools are already making significant impact on job sites and enhancing the overall quality of construction projects. Moreover, companies that embrace AI are gaining a competitive edge, as evidence by a recent Deloitte survey which found that construction leaders who prioritize data management are seven times more likely to implement artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions.
The great news is that Autodesk now offers improved, efficient, and intelligent tools that can effectively address project and business risks while boosting your team’s productivity. By leveraging these advancements, you can stay ahead in the industry and achieve better outcomes at a faster pace.
Autodesk's early investments in AI
At Autodesk, our goal has been to assist you in maximizing efficiency and profits. Since the early 80s, we have embraced technological advancements, such as PCs, cloud and SaaS solutions, and mobile platforms, to drive innovation in the construction industry. This commitment to progress is what has made us a trusted industry leader for the past four decades. We have also been early adopters of AI technology. Autodesk Research has been tackling complex AI challenges, like generative design, for more than a decade, ensuring that we continue to provide construction professionals with cutting-edge tools.
A prime example of our AI capabilities is Construction IQ, which was the first construction platform to offer AI-powered insights. Initially tested as a limited pilot program, Construction IQ allowed us to collaborate with our major construction customers to review and analyze construction data, using AI tools to identify potential risks in projects. Since its launch, Construction IQ has been used over 5 million times, helping Autodesk users automatically detect and mitigate projects risks.
Today, we are thrilled to introduce Autodesk AI, a technology that enriches the creative exploration process, automates mundane tasks, and utilizes projects data to provide predictive insights. Available within Autodesk products and integrated into the Design and Make Platform, Autodesk AI empowers customers to achieve better outcomes by boosting productivity and offering the tools to be more ambitious and inventive.
How to leverage AI for construction with Autodesk
Autodesk remains committed to exploring and expanding the ways in which AI can support you and your teams in your day-to-day proccess. We are pleased to announce that our products offer practical AI capabilities that empower you to:
- Predict and prevent construction risk
- Save time with assistive workflows
- Access more information with intelligent search
- Improve and simplify everyday decision-making
Naturally, these capabilities enable teams to uphold their creativity and control in their daily operations, while ensuring robust levels of data privacy and security.
Here are some examples of AI-driven features within Autodesk Construction Cloud.
Construction IQ
Leveraging the power of Autodesk AI, Construction IQ automatically examines the data gathered and stored in Autodesk Construction Cloud to offer enhanced visibility into project status, priorities, and performance insights. This enables easier task and issue prioritization, allowing for more efficient project management.
Construction IQ operates seamlessly within the Autodesk Construction Cloud platform, analyzing various project data points such as issues, observations, subcontractor assignments, related metadata, and historical data. By leveraging this information, Construction IQ identifies and prioritizes risk factors on a daily basis.
This intelligent analysis enhances project management by providing informed insights and streamlining the decision-making process.
Automated symbol detection
Autodesk’s symbol detection feature utilizes machine learning to accurately identify and detect symbols during the process of construction takeoff. This advanced functionality not only saves valuable time for estimators but also minimizes errors that may occur during the process.
The tool also identifies previously detected symbols and notifies you of any new instances added, so your takeoffs are comprehensive and up-to-date.
Suggested submittals
This Autodesk AI-powered feature lives within AutoSpecs, allowing you to find and track submittal items that may not have been added to the specification. The suggested submittals tool compares your current project specifications with historical project data and recommends potentially missing items to enhance accuracy and mitigate risks associated with overlooked details.
Photo autotags
Another useful capability that leverages Autodesk AI, autotags in Autodesk Build, automatically adds tags as metadata to photos. This is a huge time saver for teams who use photos to track project progress and document completed work. With autotags, you can spend less time scrolling through photos and instead focus on putting that visual data to good use.
How AI enhances productivity and reduces risk
It’s not an understatement to say that AI will revolutionize the construction industry, and the tools above are just a sample of the solutions you can use to unlock massive benefits like:
Radical efficiency gains. Whether it’s rapid iterative design and analysis, automated takeoff and submittals, or getting access to all project data, AI frees up time from non-optimal work. When leveraged effectively, AI lets you devote more energy to high-level and creative tasks, meaning you can get more things done faster and with less stress.
Early prevention of construction risk. The best way to “deal with” project risks and issues is to prevent them from happening in the first place. We can do this by using intelligent tools that surface the right information sooner rather than later. By identifying and preventing problems during the early stages of the project, we can avoid costly issues downstream.
Improve everyday decision-making. Teams are armed with the information they need to make intelligent and timely decisions that minimize risk throughout projects. As such, they can respond faster and coordinate with stakeholders more effectively. Jobs are finished on time, within budget, and everyone on the jobsite goes home safely at the end of each day.
Why choose Autodesk as your partner in AI?
There’s no shortage of AI tools in the market (with more solutions popping up every day). However, not all tools are created equal. And if you’re in construction, adopting Autodesk for AI is a no-brainer.
Our AI solutions are construction-specific
Autodesk’s AI models are built specifically for construction professionals. Our solutions include functionality designed to review and analyze your project data to provide insights.
A strong AEC foundation
If you’re looking for the most valuable and relevant insights, you need a specialist, not a jack of all trades. One of Autodesk’s greatest strengths is that we are (and have always been) about AEC. We combine our predictive analytics and automated workflow capabilities with our decades of global AEC experience to deliver a more focused AI.
Assistance while maintaining control
At Autodesk, we recognize that you are the expert. The tools we’ve developed aren’t meant to replace humans; instead, they exist to automate tasks, deliver insights, and provide alternatives while keeping you in the driver’s seat.
AI serves as a digital assistant, but you’re still giving instructions to the system, crafting prompts, making selections from various design alternatives, and controlling the final product.
Embrace the future of construction intelligence with Autodesk
AI is poised to revolutionize the way projects are delivered. As your trusted AI partner, Autodesk is at the forefront of these developments. No matter where you are in your AI journey, we’re equipping you with a suite of intelligent tools so you can improve efficiency, reduce risk, and make better decisions.
