In recent years, the artificial intelligence (AI) has gone from being a science fiction topic to a recurring guest in any business conversation. Construction is no exception: from risk prediction to automatic plan reviews, the promises are enormous.
But the key question is: is AI under construction really a tool that transforms, or just another fad that will disappear in a few years?
The real potential of AI in construction
Construction is one of the most complex and least digitized industries. Each project combines multiple disciplines, hundreds of contractors, and thousands of documents. That's where AI has room to shine: helping to process information that would be impossible to handle with human labor alone.
Case studies that already work
- Cost and time estimates
- AI platforms analyze construction histories and generate more accurate projections about budgets and schedules. This helps reduce the risk of underestimating costs or deadlines, a major cause of project losses.
- Automatic review of plans and documents
- Algorithms that detect inconsistencies in drawings, duplicates or missing information before it reaches the work. This avoids costly errors that in the field can mean weeks of delay.
- Prediction of risks on site
- By analyzing weather data, materials and safety reports, AI can anticipate hazardous incidents or conditions. An example: detecting that a crew in humid conditions and without adequate equipment is more likely to have accidents.
- Optimization of logistics and procurement
- AI that recommends when to order materials to avoid shortages or excess inventory, based on the actual pace of progress of the project.
What AI can't (yet)
While the potential is great, we must also be clear: AI is no substitute for human experience.
- You can't decide in the field what improvised solution to use in the face of an unexpected event.
- It doesn't replace the judgment of an engineer or resident who understands the full context.
- It does not correct the lack of communication between teams.
In other words: AI Accompany, not direct.
The risks of seeing it as “fashion”
Many companies make the mistake of thinking that implementing AI is a matter of “buying the app and that's it”. The reality is that without quality data, AI doesn't work.
If companies don't feed their platforms with complete information (reports, advances, updated plans), algorithms have no raw material to work with.
👉 AI doesn't fix weak processes: it exposes them.
Fad fad or inevitable reality?
AI is not a fad. It's a technology that's here to stay. However, what is fleeting are the inflated expectations of “AI that solves everything”.
The realistic path is this:
- Today, AI is already helping in specific tasks (estimates, revisions, risk prediction).
- In the coming years, it will be increasingly integrated with management platforms such as Buildpeer.
- In the future, AI will be invisible: it will simply be behind every decision, recommendation and control.
Conclusion
Artificial intelligence in construction It is already a practical reality, although still far from being magical.
Companies that understand their role — such as a complementary tool and not a substitute for human experience— they will be the ones who really take advantage of their value.
Because in the end, AI doesn't replace builders. It powers them. And that, more than a fad, is an inevitable change in how the future is built.
