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Alberta’s AI Boom Takes Center Stage at UpperBound

Edmonton may be the best-positioned city in the country to seize on the growth of AI’s applications in construction.

“If you’re a business person or a technologist or someone in between, you really want to focus on an area that’s got growth and opportunity. This is it,” said

RoBIM Technologies Inc.

CEO and co-founder Bruce Alton.

Edmonton and Alberta offer ideal conditions for such endeavors. We possess the potential to become world pioneers in construction, artificial intelligence, and robotics.

At the Upper Bound AI conference on Wednesday afternoon, where attendees were predominantly wearing headphones, Alton spoke to an audience about how Alberta, particularly Edmonton, is well-positioned to take advantage of the increasing need for artificial intelligence and robotics in construction. Highlighting the sector’s stagnant productivity levels, he emphasized that combining the ancient and most extensive industry globally—construction—with one of today’s fastest-growing sectors—artificial intelligence—is crucial for shaping our future.

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particularly as the nation aims to address the shortfall in the housing crisis.

“As it turns out, we have reached a turning point. We’re observing several developments in (RoBIM’s) sector as well as in those involving numerous other construction firms,” Alton stated.

RoBIM is a technology firm based in Edmonton that provides ”

“comprehensive robotic manufacturing solutions tailored for both residential and commercial construction sectors,” which provided Alton with valuable insights into the demands and potential openings within this field. According to information from McKinsey & Company, he noted that compared to industries such as agriculture, the construction sector’s productivity levels have remained relatively unchanged over recent decades.

“Productivity growth has remained stagnant over the past 75 years. This is absurd. Moreover, when reviewing the last four decades, specifically since 1980, it appears to have declined. Consequently, our efficiency in construction has worsened significantly over numerous years,” stated Alton.

Alton contended that the insufficient implementation of automation and robotics significantly contributed to the sluggish productivity within the sector, stating

There are six distinct sectors where artificial intelligence has the potential to enhance the industry.

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Design and planning; cost estimation and timeline management; operational effectiveness; supervision and examination; education and security measures; along with robotics and automation.

This is precisely what RoBIM concentrates on: developing robots designed to aid in prefabricated construction, slated for a complete commercial release in the upcoming year.

He mentioned that one of the keys to his company’s achievement, as well as his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs present, lies in keeping three crucial aspects of commerce and invention at heart. According to Alton, successful ventures require a large market facing significant challenges, groundbreaking tech solutions, along with deep industry knowledge; these factors attract startup funding, investments, and research grants.

For RoBIM, the target markets were Edmonton, Alberta, and Canada, with the primary issue being sluggish productivity within the construction sector. The groundbreaking solution involved incorporating robotics to mechanize parts of the building process. This approach leveraged substantial domain knowledge from numerous artificial intelligence specialists and construction firms located in the area, including AMII for AI research at the University of Alberta, along with industry leaders like Stantec, Ellis Don, and PCL in construction.

As the newly elected Liberal administration tackles a daunting housing crisis, Alton emphasized that this challenge poses significant issues but also offers extensive opportunities within an expansive marketplace. This scenario could prove to be a lucrative prospect for emerging business leaders. He noted that they share the same local talent pool of AI and construction professionals as RoBIM, suggesting that the moment is “ripe” for such initiatives.

“I wanted to emphasize this point because I genuinely believe that in 2025, we have a truly distinct chance to thrive in this field,” stated Alton.

I’d like to end with a challenge for you: ‘What steps will you take to get involved? How do you plan to make an impact in this area as a whole?’

zdelaney@postmedia.com

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