Dive Brief:
- The combined application of six artificial intelligence-enabled levers can cut project costs by 17% to 20% while trimming schedules by 22% to 25%, according to an analysis of a sample, 180,000-square-foot multifamily project by Suffolk Construction and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Suffolk and MIT published a white paper that tags six interrelated construction processes where AI can spur productivity gains.
- The study’s authors cite improvements in AI models, the tech’s ability to sift through mounds of construction data and economic pressures to adopt AI as the driving forces behind the industry’s increasing focus on AI.
Dive Insight:
The paper, titled “Construction in the Age of AI,” defines the six key levers as:
- Design automation
- Offsite manufacturing
- Permitting
- Scheduling
- Skilled labor and subcontracting
- Supply chain and procurement
The report notes that gains among these categories can lead to additional advances in other areas, said Jit Kee Chin, chief technology officer for Suffolk.
“This is where I find the real color of the paper comes through, which is that this is not like a math exercise for 1+1+1 equals 3. It's 1+1+1 equals, potentially, 6,” Chin told Construction Dive.
In particular, the research paper listed design automation as the “clearest upstream enabler” of improvements in the other five categories. The report’s authors note that design automation acted as a data foundation for permit compliance checking, procurement automation, schedule generation and subcontractor coordination.
The research also notes connections between supply chains, offsite manufacturing and schedule optimization. Prefab components need to arrive on jobsites when installation crews are ready, demonstrating a need for coordination among those three components.
The paper’s multifamily case study used a $180 million build in San Francisco that was completed in 2024 to retroactively analyze areas ripe for potential productivity, schedule and cost improvements.
While capability advancements are one part of AI’s rise, the tech’s surge is also tied closely to the rapid growth of data center construction around the U.S. Between March and August, the number of projects that were planned or operating nearly tripled, according to an analysis of data from market intelligence firm Cleanview.
Researchers gathered data via a roundtable discussion, a review of published literature and expert interviews. Although the results were not causal, Chin pointed to a roadmap that featured next steps, which include more studies and better data standards for construction.
“There's enough evidence out there now that says that this vision is possible,” Chin said. “The question is: What do we all do about it?”
