Artificial construction giants are scrambling to embrace the latest fad: artificial intelligence.  From safety to contracts, AI is being touted as a cure-all for the industry's woes.  But is this technology a silver bullet or a blunderbuss loaded with unintended consequences?

Contractors are throwing money at AI solutions, hoping for magic fixes.  One company uses AI to monitor  conversations about safety briefings.  The aim? To ensure supervisors are "on message," this dystopian approach might squeeze out a few percentage points in safety scores, but does it foster genuine engagement from workers?  Or does it create a culture of fear and score-chasing?

Another firm uses AI to sift through  legal contracts.  While helpful for keyword searches, can AI truly understand the nuances of legalese?  Relying on an "AI lawyer" sounds like a risky  business, especially when dealing with million-dollar projects.

A speaker even compared AI to a "drunken Albert Einstein"—brilliant but prone to inaccuracies.  This is a sobering reminder: AI is a powerful tool, but  garbage in, garbage out.  Feeding AI with incomplete or biased data can lead to disastrous results.

The industry seems enamored with the potential of AI but cautious about its limitations.  There's a Wild West atmosphere surrounding this tech, with many questions left unanswered.

One crucial question: how will AI impact the workforce?  While some hail AI as an efficiency booster, others fear widespread job losses.  The industry needs a plan to address this challenge, not bury its head in the sand.

The potential of AI in construction is undeniable.  But before diving headfirst, the industry needs to tread carefully.  Transparency, collaboration, and a focus on human expertise are essential.

This isn't just about deploying AI for the sake of novelty.  It's about ensuring this powerful tool is used responsibly and ethically for the betterment of the entire construction industry—workers,  companies, and ultimately, the built environment.