AI Moves Onto Construction Sites, Safety Gains Unproven
AI tools are spreading across construction, utilities and road maintenance. Vendors say they cut paperwork and accidents. Researchers say whether the technology actually prevents accidents needs further study, CNBC reported.
Shelley Copsey is CEO of London-based FYLD, which sells AI software to front-line crews. She came to the company after working at the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, one of the world's biggest infrastructure investors. Her brief there was to find technology that solves problems across its portfolio.
What the vendors offer
FYLD predicts which permits a project will need, so crews do not arrive on site short of information. It also helps plan around the weather. Heavy lifting, for example, can be moved off a day with strong winds.
Workers record short videos about the day's tasks and safety worries. AI analyzes them to flag likely problems. Copsey said field staff spend about 20% to 25% of their time on site doing admin. Draft reports built from photos, video and job data take two to three minutes instead of roughly half an hour.
Infrastructure services provider Amey said in March that it would give FYLD to 2,500 field workers. FYLD case studies report up to 48% fewer incidents and injuries.
Other vendors work on inspection. Nathan Marsh of Bentley Systems said its road platform, Blyncsy, reads images captured by drivers to spot damaged guardrails, overgrown vegetation and debris. Bentley said one rail project cut physical site visits by 50% and manual surveys by 70% with a digital twin.
Steven Elsham, UK-based CEO of Ultimo, said its tools scan work orders and shift logs for incidents that went unreported. The system drafts a report for a person to review. "People should still report things themselves," he said. "This is there for what gets missed."
What academics say
Waleed Umer, an assistant professor at Northumbria University, said most studies look at what models can detect, not whether they prevent harm. Sites change constantly, so cameras cannot catch every hazard. False alarms can teach workers to ignore warnings. Too much trust in AI can create false security. "Treat AI as an extra pair of eyes, not a replacement for supervision," Umer said.
Billy Hare, a professor at Glasgow Caledonian University, said pilots have mostly measured productivity. Less time in hazardous places plausibly lowers risk, he said, but whether the technology prevents accidents needs further study.
Official figures do not settle it. The Health and Safety Executive counted 25 construction deaths in Great Britain in 2025/26, down from 35 a year earlier and below the five-year average of 37. Hare said the record low may reflect an economic slowdown.
Elsham raised a question about the freed-up hours. "Safety teams are already covering more hazards with the same headcount," he said. If the plan is only more tickets per head, he said, workers will see through it. He argued firms should track safety, first-time fixes and unplanned breakdowns, not just output.
Source: CNBC