With AI, ‘walk before you run’: Skanska USA exec

Anita Nelson desires you to start out small with synthetic intelligence.

The chief technique officer for Skanska USA Constructing, the U.S. arm of the Swedish builder and developer, Nelson mentioned the suite of AI merchandise that the contractor has rolled out to its workers, which it calls Sidekicks. 

The Security Sidekick, Skanska’s latest inner providing, helps workers entry Skanska knowledge on security and jobsite situations. It helps workers plan toolbox talks and huddles, and provides them a useful resource at their disposal.

Right here, Nelson talks with Building Dive concerning the Security Sidekick’s origins, the way it matches into the corporate’s present AI suite and the recommendation she has for builders seeking to incorporate AI into their very own workflows.

Editor’s Word: This interview has been edited for brevity and readability.

CONSTRUCTION DIVE: How did the concept of the Skanska Security Sidekick come about?

ANITA NELSON: We noticed a must make these insights extra fast and extra actionable on jobsites. This knowledge shouldn’t be typically leveraged in actual time. Sidekick permits us to take a look at that knowledge in a selected approach. 

Utilizing generative AI skilled on Skanska-specific security knowledge and jobsite situations, it permits us to ship customized toolbox talks, security observations and proactive solutions to employees.

On a day-to-day foundation, meaning employees can ask the AI device security associated questions by way of cellular or desktop and get prompt help for planning a morning huddle or addressing a brand new hazard.

Past textual content, for those who’ve obtained an image of web site situations that day, you’ll be able to ask questions associated to that picture. The device can be embedded into our workflow, so it is not an added step within the day, it’s very consumer pleasant.

Security Sidekick is certainly one of a collection of AI choices that Skanska has. How does it match into that?

Our knowledge options crew, in collaboration with data know-how, they’ve developed 4 safe inner AI instruments. 

There’s Skanska Sidekick, which relies on OpenAI’s GPT-4o mannequin. That’s a basic use chat bot that protects consumer enterprise knowledge so you’ll be able to ask it something inside our group or outdoors our group. 

Then we now have three “skilled” sidekicks. 

One’s referred to as My Skanska Sidekick, and that searches for key paperwork on our inner intranet web site. So, for those who’re on the lookout for a threat administration protocol or our sustainability report, or who’s the chief of one thing, you’ll be able to ask it for that.

Then, we now have an Operational Threat Sidekick, which is certainly one of my different favorites, for our people within the subject. It’s comprised of 1000’s of case research and experiences throughout completely different venture varieties and constructing techniques. It offers you methods and mitigation plans for present dangers on jobs.

Security Sidekick is the most recent member of our suite.

What hurdles did you must clear to make this AI out there to your crew?

As a result of we had developed others, it was actually about ensuring that we obtained the paperwork in place.

Our early customers continually give us suggestions in actual time on what’s working and what’s not. We do not launch issues, you already know, to all 3000-plus constructing workers immediately. We take time to pilot, see what’s working, see what’s not. 

I do not suppose we bumped into any hurdles on this specific launch, as a result of the know-how is there.

I do not need to say it is as straightforward as plug-and-play, as a result of my knowledge scientists would inform me it is extra complicated than that. However actually, lots of our challenges are going to be concerning the high quality of the information and whether or not our knowledge warehouse has the appropriate data.

What have been the advantages?

Our early customers are positively reporting time saved when getting ready security briefings and improved jobsite engagement. I feel that’s crucial. 

Once you’re getting ready for a morning huddle, you is perhaps getting ready for that the night time earlier than. You is perhaps planning that day earlier than in your commute. 

This makes it very easy for individuals. They are not attending to the trailer and figuring it out. They are not staying late the night time earlier than to determine it out.

What recommendation would you give a smaller contractor who desires to implement this type of tech?

Begin with the information that you already know. You begin with the low hanging fruit. Once you’re generative AI or language fashions, when you have paperwork and also you need to have them scanned and create a chat bot on high of it, that is all nicely and good.

However, if there’s not an infrastructure that you simply put money into to do this, that is the place you are going to run into hassle. 

Moreover, we had been capable of construct this ourselves. Do not suppose you must construct it your self.