RICS report: the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the construction sector

In the wake of global and cross-sectoral growth in industry-supporting technologies, artificial intelligence is also expected to revolutionise the construction sector, especially in the field of work management and coordination.

These predictions are supported by the findings of a report on the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) in the industry presented by RICS, an organisation that promotes professional standards and qualifications for development and management of land, buildings and infrastructure.

Artificial Intelligence in the Built Environment identifies Facility Management (FM) as one of the segments that will be most influenced by AI due to the repetitive nature and high labour intensity of many jobs in this sector, which make it the ideal environment for automation of tasks that were previously performed prevalently by humans.

The challenge will therefore centre around the ability to transform a potential criticality into an opportunity to rethink processes and products and to renew the profession of Facility Manager (FM), a role of strategic importance for the entire built environment.

Through the use of AI, machines will revolutionise the Facility Management sector, making many jobs faster, safer and less physically strenuous, thereby improving the range of services offered and increasing profits. Moreover, with the progressive urbanisation and digitisation of the planet, artificial intelligence will become one of the driving forces of economic development.

The way in which this technology will be able to develop sectors and increase productivity will be the main topic of the RICS World Built Environment forum to be held in London on 23 April 2018.