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Jit Kee Chin envisions a revamped technology stack in the coming year.
Chin, chief technology officer at Boston-based Suffolk Construction, previously said it was OK to be a fast follower when it comes to technology implementation. Today, she tracks which sectors of construction technology are booming and why one in particular has fallen by the wayside.
Here, Chin talks with Construction Dive about artificial intelligence, robotics, what Suffolk envisions in its tech stack, and his predictions for 2025.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
DIVE CONSTRUCTION: What are you currently seeing in the contech space?
JIT KEE CHIN: AI continues to grow. If last year was more focused on AIs and much more general co-pilots, I think this year we’re seeing more variety, and some of the younger companies are definitely growing. They’re not to scale yet, but they’re more than a piece of paper and an idea.
We’re starting to see this wave of AI startups really hit, and we’ll probably get to where the rubber hits the road.
We have studied AI a lot. We are adopting AI solutions on a large scale across the enterprise that simplify the interaction of project teams with their information.
We’re testing solutions that allow search and retrieval, that allow you to query information quite extensively.
There is always more to learn about AI.
What technologies would you like to learn more about?
I think robotics is actually quite interesting. I think we’re now in the phase of, “Hey, is this really going to be adopted and scaled?” » and you see certain use cases gaining traction. Many are stuck in the pilot phase and don’t necessarily move beyond that.
Jit Kee Chin
Authorization granted by Suffolk Construction
I just read an in-depth article about robotics, because I was a little curious if construction robots are here or not? But how widespread is this actually becoming? I think the jury is still out.
A second trend we’ve seen is an interesting focus on materials.
We have always monitored the materials. I won’t say we’re experts, but the focus on embodied carbon and the fact that embodied carbon is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, which has historically received very little attention, I think this is changing.
We’ve been monitoring the low-carbon materials sector for a few years now, and we’re starting to see a lot more activity there.
If you choose another category, like sensors and Internet of Things devices, I feel like the hype has now fallen on IoT devices. There was a time when they were super hot.
Why do you think the hype around IoT devices is dead?
I think the infrastructure requirements for IoT in general, the need for broadband or some sort of network, mesh network, has always been a little bit difficult to build because that means you have to build this infrastructure from the start.
The second set of problems concerns the connection between the sensor and the sensor. If you talk about worker sensors, which people were trying to measure, they were mainly trying to measure productivity. Many people claim it was for security reasons. The adoption of a sensor on the workers themselves has encountered great resistance, particularly in the union sector.
So none of those really took off.
Sensors intended to monitor the environment have, in some cases, been successful. Things that monitor the environment for particles, temperature or heat, etc. I think they are still used, but not consistently, because in many construction projects you may not need them.
This is the value for money calculation that people use.
Are there any non-jobsite specific applications that Suffolk is trying?
Clearstory, formerly called Extracker, which does the timing. Construction constantly struggles to meet time, submit time reports, and get paid.
What we’re really excited about, and this one is even earlier in the funnel, is sourcing. We are actively working with Kaya, one of our BOOST technology accelerator companies, as they have an AI-based way to provide you with an automated sourcing and delivery log.
We all know that a lot of schedule delays are due to supply delays, and it’s just a lot to keep calling the sub and wondering, “Hey, when is this stuff going to arrive?” ? Then you have a manual delivery log that you need to link to your submissions and schedule. This is a workflow that’s ripe for streamlining.
And even more so in the management aspect, finding better ways to recruit staff. This is a mature trend, so I wouldn’t say it’s very early in the funnel, but I think solutions that help with people and workforce management in general , for the construction sector, are gaining more and more ground.