The role of AI in modernizing the construction industry

By Jonny Suchor. 

Artificial intelligence expert shares his insights into the innovative ways contractors are using this new technology to elevate their businesses. 

In a recent MetalTalk ™, hosted by Karen Edwards, we dive into the transformative potential of artificial ntelligence (AI) for businesses. In the modern construction industry, learning how to use AI to better your business and recession-proof it is important. The discussion, aimed at exploring AI and its applications in the construction industry, is led by Amir Davani from Rilla, a company at the forefront of speech analytics software.

Amir explains what Rilla's services are, saying, "When your sales reps go and talk to customers in the home, they record those conversations on our app, and then we utilize AI to transcribe, analyze and give them feedback." According to Amir, these AI-powered ride-alongs are helping to revolutionize trade. 

While some people might be hesitant to adopt a new, unfamiliar, technology like AI, it’s here to stay. And as much as AI is changing how people work and operate now, it wasn’t all that long ago that the emergence of the internet did the same thing. “AI is really what the internet was back in the year 2000. It completely changed the world, and that's really where we're at right now,” Amir explains. “With AI you have the power of thousands of computers just in your pocket and you're able to compute information more than any human ever will.” 

There are multiple ways professionals across the industry can utilize AI, such as enhancing the sales and marketing processes, something that Rilla specializes in. "Operationally, we also have AI-generated summaries of different meetings... From the operation side, you can push these notes into your CRM and always have a bookkeeper on you. In terms of marketing, many of the emails you guys are receiving are catered to you using AI without you actually knowing,” Amir shares. “A lot of businesses nowadays are generating leads utilizing these different methods. So a lot of lead generation emailing outreach all include AI.”   

As for AI's future impact on the construction industry, Amir anticipates substantial growth and adoption.  He explains, "It's been growing exponentially. So, we definitely can see that coming in the construction industry." And considering the labor shortage the roofing and construction industries continue to face, AI, automation and smart robots and tools can help alleviate some of the labor shortage. Amir shares, “AI is really a tool to help you, not replace you. That's the biggest thing. It's coming sooner or later whether we like it or not, and we have got to be prepared to take the steps necessary to make sure our business can grow at that rate of innovation there.” 

 Read the transcript, Listen to the podcast or Watch the RLW to learn how AI can streamline operations and amplify business growth.