People who don’t work in construction like to characterise the industry as dirty, dangerous and technologically backward. This is despite the very evident sophistication and complexity of big infrastructure projects like HS2 and landmark buildings such as The Shard.
This is probably because the local builder, adding a rear extension to your home, doesn’t use BIM or interactive 3D modelling or machine learning (or the proper PPE). And, to the average Joe, the local builder is the construction industry.
To many people, technology means what’s on their mobile phone. It means TikTok, Instagram and the dystopian threat of Chinese hackers and Russian deep fakes. Construction can do without that, thanks. But does the use of ‘smart’ technology, such as artificial intelligence, represent a benefit or a risk to the industry? For this issue of the magazine, I commissioned an article on the subject from an AI expert. Sadly, either the expert or their public-relations intermediary messed up, or couldn’t be bothered, and the article never materialised.
So the obvious solution was to ask ChatGPT to write the article. You can read the result on page 26.
And on page 61 you can read how technology is bringing driverless dump trucks to the UK quarry sector. OK, you might prefer the deep fake images of Pope Francis wearing a big white puffer jacket. But this is better.