Aaron West
Nevada is in the process of building an exciting new future. As one of the fastest-growing states in the country, we’ve seen new developments and projects statewide.
From new stadiums the professional sports teams in Las Vegas to new data centers springing up in Northern Nevada, our state’s landscape is changing seemingly by the day, surging demand in the construction industry.
Yet, with these larger projects has come population growth that has created a massive surge in housing demand. Recent data based on home construction permit rates shows that Nevada ranks in the top two states with the largest percentage increase in home construction.
The Las Vegas metropolitan area ranked first among major cities for the same criteria. While these developments are something to celebrate, the demand they have created is also illuminating a growing concern that we simply do not have enough construction workers to fill the roles these projects demand.
The national workforce shortages in the construction industry have hit the Silver State particularly hard. According to the National Association of Home Builders, 33-65% of builders nationwide are facing a labor shortage. Additionally, 54% of contractors reported experiencing project delays specifically due to these labor shortages.
Considering the number of major projects taking place across Nevada, these gaps are proving particularly impactful, slowing down project timelines, increasing costs, and creating serious bottlenecks. The issue has become so concerning that Sen. Jacky Rosen is now leading an effort to pass legislation to bolster the national construction workforce and address the skilled worker shortage in the industry.
While an effort like this might help in the long term, we must also explore other solutions to help fill the gap in the meantime. That’s where new technological innovations like artificial intelligence (AI) can help. Even at this relatively early stage of generative AI development, builders are already finding it useful in every construction phase.
For instance, in the preconstruction phase, which normally requires a team of planners and developers, AI’s machine-learning capabilities can help streamline the planning and design process.
In the latter, generative AI can help architects and designers more easily bring their designs to life while assisting project managers in developing pragmatic project timelines and other administrative tasks. On the construction site, AI is helping to make projects safer, more efficient, and faster.
To help overcome continued material and labor shortages, worksite managers are looking to AI to strategically adjust projects to maximize efficiency.
Meanwhile, to ensure worksite safety, the technology is also helping management adjust project timelines to reduce the impact of extreme heat. It’s also helping to improve safety by wielding data-informed insights to predict hazards before they happen while automating some of the riskiest jobs.
These emerging applications are helping to make construction projects safer for workers while helping to fill labor gaps through automation. These exciting new use cases for AI in the construction field are only the tip of the spear. As the technology continues to evolve rapidly, we are sure to see numerous new ways in which it can be used to help Nevada’s builders.
As lawmakers explore solutions for the best ways to contend with rising costs in the construction industry, a logical first step will be to embrace AI innovation and avoid putting up unnecessary red tape that risks its evolution.
Aaron West is a 20-year construction industry advocate and the founding CEO of the Nevada Builders Alliance.