Aussie plan to fill AI with labor shortages and speed up home buildings

Australian dreams are given a science fiction transformation. Aspiring property buyers said they can quickly be provided to homes created, designed and delivered by artificial intelligence.

AI is set up to turn muscle into muscle at NSW construction sites as new technologies are deployed that promise to reduce building time, reduce costs and drag the nation out of its deepening housing crisis.

AI-driven building systems are expected to help streamline the production of key residential components, such as framing and modular fitting, while guiding the assembly process on the premises.

This will potentially smooth out the choking points of the construction process and help overcome the critical workforce shortages that have plagued the construction industry since the pandemic.

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Chandolin Construction, which is partnered with Cuby Technologies, is one of the groups advocating for AI rollouts, with three pilot projects underway across the state, and plans to use the technology to deploy around 200-300 homes next year.

The plan from there is to expand the technology for bulk housing production on large-scale real estate.

Chandrin Construction Director Sarah Dimitrievsky said the process “transforms housing from a labor-intensive construction process into a digitally controlled manufacturing system.”

This technology allows much of the construction process to be integrated into a single production workflow, minimizing the impact of weather delays, subcontract bottlenecks and traded latency.

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Expand Mobile Micro Factory (MMF). This is a portable, containerized production facility that manufactures home components.

Once your kit comes out of the manufacturing site, AI Tech will guide you on how to pack your shipping container for optimal construction. The container is then sent to the building. The process is QR coded.

“We significantly reduce the time, cost and labor required to build a quality home, and in many cases we deliver units in 30-60 days at the cost of less than one-third of the traditional method,” Dimitrievski said.

“This will unlock our ability to rapidly expand housing supply even in tight labor markets and regions with high material costs, making it an ideal solution for Australia's housing shortage.”

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Tim Readon, the chief economist of the Housing Industry Association, said AI could be a “real opportunity” for the industry.

Reardon said it could not lower the burden of white-collar labor costs associated with regulatory compliance, including the planning approval process, but he could not remove skilled transactions from work.

“There have been people who have been involved in building homes recently. This is trying to address building deficits and regulatory requirements. This makes the home more and more expensive. It's in the area where AI presents a great opportunity,” he said.

“What we're trying to see is two specific components of home building that really suits it, and that's the engineering and planning components.”

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According to Dimitrievski, the kit of parts made using the AI-Co coordination method includes a structural steel frame, PIR insulation wall panels, a spiral pier foundation and a prefabricated service core.

The materials are industrial grade, fire, mold, pests and rot resistant, and are designed for energy efficiency and longevity, she added.

Dimitrievski said the home layout, facades and finishes can all be tailored to the local market or client's preferences. Home buyers have the option to personalize their builds with pre-approved modules.

“But if each of them is different, we're probably going to be bulk estate for a home, because we want to put out a lot of homes,” she said.

Reardon said AI could inevitably restructure employment in the sector.

“It means more homes and more homes employing more homes. It's shifting costs from simply unproductive involvement to productive involvement of the workforce,” he said.

“The argument that AI takes on people's jobs is no different from what we saw in the Industrial Revolution: it's about technology changing roles, not taking on people's jobs.

“AI won't take on your job. Someone who knows how to use AI.”