If you have been following our blog series for the past few weeks, then you know, we are been exploring how to inspire, motivate, and connect with our workers and how our business processes will need to evolve. This week, let’s look at the growing reliance on emerging technologies.
While there are many technologies to watch such as AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), digital twin, robotics, edge, 5G, the IoT (Internet of Things) and more, perhaps one of the big technologies construction will need to keep an eye on will be AI (artificial intelligence)—and there are new needs coming in the years ahead.
IDC forecasts the worldwide revenues for the AI market—which includes software, hardware, and services—is expected to grow 12.3% in 2020 compared to 2019, which is a pretty impressive feat, amid a pandemic. Going forward, it predicts global spending on AI will double in the next four years, as companies deploy it as part of their digital transformation efforts and to remain competitive in the digital economy.
Quite frankly, it isn’t if construction companies should implement the technology, but rather when. Two big drivers for adoption are delivering a better experience and helping employees get better at their jobs.
Looking to the future, though, the challenge becomes not just implementing the technology, but also doing it in a way that is responsible for users—something that could be said for any type of technology including artificial intelligence.
Forrester suggests there will be a rising demand for ethical AI, meaning companies that have adopted machine learning and other AI technologies in the past will now need to take into consideration the values of consumers and employees. In the next few years, firms will need to deliberately choose to do business with partners that commit to data ethics and adopt data handling practices that reflect their own values and their customers’ value.
Really, at the end of the day all of this technology amounts to one thing—data. The construction industry needs to be able to access data in a way that is intuitive, ethical, and drives quick decision making for those in the office and at the jobsite. Any tool or technology that does that will be front and center for construction in 2021 and beyond.
In the last two weeks of this blog series, we will discuss the drive for smart infrastructure (especially considering we will be getting another ASCE Infrastructure Report Card in 2021; we need to be prepared) and finally we will wrap up the year with a conversation on the need for resilience in the face of change. Join us next week, as we continue to look at what big trends are coming in 2021 and beyond.
Original Article: https://constructech.com/five-steps-for-construction-technology/
