The Next AI Revolution in Construction Will Happen on the Jobsite

By Pierre Custeau, CEO of CynQ

Our participation in the 11th edition of Batimatech, held September 29 and 30 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, confirmed something important: interest in artificial intelligence across the construction industry is very real. But more importantly, in my view, it confirmed where the next major challenge lies.

Productivity. And more specifically, productivity during project execution.

The White Paper unveiled at the event also highlights this issue. Quebec’s construction industry needs to improve its productivity, and digitalization is one of the key ways to get there: making better use of the data companies already generate, strengthening their ability to analyze that data, and using artificial intelligence to optimize certain processes.

But one question remains: where can AI actually create the most value for contractors?

What struck me at Batimatech is that many of the innovations currently being proposed are focused on what happens before a construction project enters the execution phase: plan reading, estimating, takeoffs, risk management, project preparation and planning.

These advances are important. But they only address part of the challenge.

Once a project is underway, there is still enormous untapped potential for optimization.

How can we optimize the sequencing of work? Make better use of resources? Reduce rework? Improve coordination between teams? Identify issues that affect profit margins sooner?

This is where I see a major opportunity for artificial intelligence.

And this is precisely where CynQ has chosen to position itself.

Our approach is to use data and AI not simply to prepare a project, but to improve its execution and protect the contractor’s profit margin.

Another observation from Batimatech also deserves our attention: many technology solutions are still being developed as custom solutions for individual companies. Custom-built solutions can be extremely powerful, but they require time, resources and investments that many contractors simply cannot dedicate to a technology project.

Quebec has a very high proportion of small businesses in the construction sector. We therefore need to develop technologies that are not reserved for organizations with large IT teams and substantial budgets.

The digital transformation of construction cannot rely solely on custom-built projects. It needs to become accessible.

In my view, this will be one of the major challenges in the years ahead.

The industry is ready. Contractors recognize the value of AI and technology. The need for greater productivity is clear.

Now, we need to move from experimentation to adoption.

And above all, we need to move from AI that helps us prepare jobsites to AI that actually helps us execute projects better.

That is where we believe a significant part of the next generation of productivity gains in construction will come from.

Pierre Custeau

CEO, CynQ