How artificial intelligence secures the construction process
Benetics AI presents the first automatic recognition and analysis of construction plans in emails at Swissbau. The Benetics AI email assistant analyses construction plans in Outlook attachments and automatically assigns updated plans to the relevant personnel. Outdated versions are blocked.
According to a press release, the Benetics AI email assistant is designed to help prevent one of the most costly sources of error in everyday construction work: incorrect execution due to outdated plans. This assistant was developed by Benetics AG. Founded in 2022, the Zurich-based software company will be presenting it as a world first at Swissbau in Basel from 20 January.
Following the voice assistant for the skilled trades, also based on artificial intelligence (AI), which will be launched in 2024, “the AI email assistant is the second world first from Benetics AI,” says CEO Ferdinand Metzler. “This brings us another step closer to our vision: less time-consuming administrative work and more focus on what makes the skilled trades strong: productive work.”
The email assistant recognises construction plan PDFs in incoming email attachments and compares them with existing plans in all current projects. It automatically notifies users when a new plan version has been received. And at the touch of a button, it ensures that no one is still working on the old plan version.
The AI assistant is embedded directly in Microsoft Outlook and can be integrated from there into other systems such as SharePoint or other DMS and CDE solutions. According to the information provided, the open API of Benetics AI and new connectors on Make.com and Zapier enable flexible integrations. “This creates a continuous digital plan flow all the way to the fitter on the construction site for the first time,” the press release states.
“The Outlook integration brings even more structure to the construction process,” says Bledar Beqiri. He is head of installation in plant engineering at Basler Rosenmund Haustechnik AG and a user of the AI email assistant. “New plan statuses reach our teams faster and without detours. This reduces sources of error and gives our project managers more certainty in execution.”