b"A.I. IN CONSTRUCTIONfirms beginning to develop apps to leveragepositions. He says it does not replace humanForA.I.totrulybreakthrough,everyone thistechnology.Thisinvolvesembeddingpotential and judgment; rather, it allows yourwill need to be on the same page, Lessard sensors into materials to collect data whichworkforce to deal with higher value tasks. explains.Whenyouworkoncomplex will provide much accurate and deeper levelsprojects with several partners, some may be of analysis than previously possible. It is a tool that can help our teams focus onfamiliar with the technology you use, others the value-added they provide to a project,might not, he says. There will need to be Forinstance,GiatecScientificInc.,aninstead of spending time collecting and ana- a wider adoption and some standardization Ottawa-based firm, has designed and builtlyzing data, for example, Lessard explains. in work methods and processes if we want specialized IoT sensors that can be installedtomaximizeA.I.spotentialtomakethe within concrete to provide, through a cloud- Clearly,generalcontractorswillleadtheindustry more efficient.based interface, real-time data about when itsway in A.I., but as an electrical contractor, going to set and how strong it is. By provid- obviously you have to understand what theWhile examples of A.I. applications within ingtemperatureandpressureinformation,trends are, and what people are starting toconstructionareappearingright,leftand you can detect patterns, changes and trendsdo, Stoller advises. centre, its still very much early days, mean-asartificialintelligencebasicallylearns,ing that if you havent looked into this at all, Stoller says. You may not necessarily need to become anthere is still time to acclimate yourself.A.I. expert, but youll want to understand HeexplainsthiswillbeahugeboontoaboutthesensorscompanieswillwanttoWe know we are only seeing the tip of the contractors by helping them optimize oper- install. As the technology likely extends intoiceberg when it comes to A.I. and its impact ations, as they can be far more accurate withfacilities management, electrical contractorsand usefulness in our field, Lessard says.the scheduling of trades. Down the road, thisworkingforsomeonewithadesign-build-information will also be extremely valuablemanage contract may have opportunities.RobBlackstien(www.Pen-Ultimate.ca)isa from a maintenance standpoint. Toronto-based writer who specializes in the con-Theyre going to want electrical to under- struction, renovation and housing industries.Thisisaprimeexampleofhowelectricalstand how to put sensors in all these different contractors can play within the A.I. space,areas so they can detect possible issues with becauseinstallingthesesensorswilllikelythe electrical systems, he predicts.require their expertise. Stoller says another contractor told him that thesesensors,andthetrendstheyreveal, wouldalsobeidealfordetectingpossible flooding situations.Other possible applications for A.I. in con-struction include anomaly detection, predict-ivecostanalysis,andprocessoptimization within workflows, Lessard says. Stoller thinks that estimating is another obvious area that can be improved through A.I.ForA.I.tobesuccessful,Lessardadvises, it's not just about the technology; its just as much about managing the change within our organization and with our partners.Lessard says while Pomerleau is incorporating A.I. within its operations, it likes to think of it as assisted intelligence, as our people continue to play a leading role in shaping the outcome from end to end.This brings up an important point, especially given the misnomer that A.I. will eliminate jobs. The truth is well likely have the same number or even more jobs with A.I., but they will tend to be more skilled, decision-based Ontario Electrical Contractor9"