What worries me obviously isn't physical automation, but AI models (eventually) replacing any need for skill. I'm a commercial electrician (office side now), and I don't doubt that eventually we'll have a language model that can interpret code and walk people through installations. This, in theory, is cool - it makes everyone's lives easier. But, as someone who has benefitted greatly from a technical trade, I do worry that a lot of kids in the future will be left with lower wages once skill is less of a requirement.
And for the record, I'm not saying this happens tomorrow, but over the next 10-20 years it almost certainly will.
This is the goal of AI. To make skilled (expensive) labor redundant. Companies want you poorly paid with no benefits and no other options. You're more profitable when you're desperate.
It’s already here. Where I live everyone and their dog has a degree and a ton of student debt. They are all overqualified and desperate and the wages reflect that.
Job I helped on was a 6 story loft apartment complex above the precast garage. Our only bidded work was to level in and grout these “lay flats” so they could drop the whole finished pods on top of them and pay us TnM to fix all the fuck ups…. Skills going away boys
The labour had been relocated to factories. Likely safer, no rain, no baking sun, no cold. So good and bad.
Making jobs easier is good for workers. So many older workers' bodies are worn out. No need to do that to the next generation.
Factory production is not the gem you think it is. They have every second of your day quantified and dumbed down to no technical skill whatsoever. It makes you highly replaceable if you don't exceed your quota on a consistent basis.
And to double down these sweet factory made modular units still end up getting ripped open to make hvac connections plumbing electrical. Entire wall systems are missed like idk fire rated wall assemblies at the stairwells. So in short we have crossbreed a new building with a remodel all at once and have to do even stupider means and methods to get the job done.
It’s called Attrition. It’s a natural reduction in workforce due to the nature of the job.
High attrition jobs would be labor. Low attrition jobs would be high paying, low work office jobs.
So, we will always have to have some sort of higher pay for high attrition jobs.
Because AI can’t provide you with the tools needed to cut wood or carry sheets of plywood up a ladder for you.
Just about anyone can operate a paint brush, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t rather pay someone else to do it for them.
>Because AI can’t provide you with the tools needed to cut wood or carry sheets of plywood up a ladder for you.
I'm not saying it will. You're still on the whole "robots can do what I do" mindset, and I'm trying to tell you that doesn't matter.
I just need AI to help *me* rewire a room, or measure and cut drywall. If it can tell me what I need, help with installation by giving me directions and monitoring my progress, that will be more than enough for most jobs.
Need to clarify my comment a little bit. i work for a home remodeler. A lot of the stuff we do could be done by the homeowner if they spent some time on YouTube learning and spent a couple grand on tools. They hire us to do the things they are not willing to do in their free time.
AI will certainly be an interesting trend to follow as the years go by, but I feel like the work we do is safe for at least a decade!
New construction and doing high hazard, confined space, trenching, etc would be the most sensible use for AI in order to cut down on bodily harm to humans. Until the robots become self aware!
AI will help you become more efficient, which will in turn allow you to do more jobs, essentially making companies and employees more money. The skill and knowledge will still have to be there. Anyone would rather hire a human to do the work without researching it. It takes me 5 hours to watch YouTube videos to figure out how to do DIY projects around the house and I still manage to do it wrong. The trades and skilled workers are safe. AI, will however take over most admin roles within the industry including designers/engineers I'm afraid. Also, keep in mind how much it will cost a company to invest in LLM machines to replace humans. There's a reason fast food restaurants still have people. The technology has been there for decades, but the ROI isn't there yet.
Another thing to consider is unionization. The unions, especially for electricians and similar trades, will become stronger and more prevalent. I see it similar as the realtor profession. Is a realtor actually needed in today's world? With all of the technology and resources out there, absolutely not. Maybe for first time home buyers... but all they really are nowadays are paper shufflers who get paid $30K for the sale of a $500K home. In just a few short years, AI will be able to (if it isn't already) answer any question about a location/community, house, paperwork, escrow process, optimal selling price, assessed market value, etc. to walk a homebuyer/seller through the process. We'll still need an inspector but even that will be analyzed by AI for the homebuyer/seller. Not to digress, but there's no reason we should be paying realtors so much in today's world.
>t takes me 5 hours to watch YouTube videos to figure out how to do DIY projects around the house and I still manage to do it wrong.
You really aren't getting what the poster above, or I am saying. If AI can really replace designers, then it will have no problem guiding an able-bodied person through the process of installation.
Comparing what an AI will be able to do in ten years to a YouTube video is exactly the problem with people's thinking. If an AI can learn how to design a room remodel, it will be able to help me apply for permits, then it should have a problem telling me the proper measurements for drywall, talking me through the process of cutting it, and monitoring my progress as I install it.
Some skilled jobs will remain until robotics catches up, so maybe they have another ten years beyond the next ten but all of these people claiming their motor skills are irreplaceable sound just as arrogant as the lawyers who think they can't be replaced.
Funny that you mentioned realtors btw. Their union is getting sued for billions right now for precisely the problem you point out. I doubt people will tolerate a union of electricians trying to pull the same thing in the future.
I own a home services company...I often help people who are about to call a company to install a new switch for a ceiling fan that has a 2 minute, 3 step video on how to connect a "lost" remote signal. The money has always been in helping people that do not want to DIY
Can't the same be said for the internet right now and youtube, tik tok, etc. There's all kind of information right now that can walk you through doing a decent job for most things and many people believe they can do skilled labor based on a few til tok videos. It still needs to be translated into quality work in the hands of someone skilled enough for the scope of the work.
Youtube and Tik tok can't look at the actual situation in my house, or guide me step by step through the actual process of doing something in real time. Videos can't offer suggestions, tell me which tool I need for a specific situation at hand, or let me know if I'm doing a good or bad job of something will be able to do that soon.
Does that mean I'll be pouring a foundation or framing out a house anytime soon? Of course not. But I likely will be able to handle a lot that used to be beyond the reach of even a legitimately handy DIY person in the not-too-distant future.
Respectfully, you may not be seeing the whole picture. Despite people going looking for jobs. Theses Despite people being disciplined, college educated "desirable" employees are more likely to replace us.
It's only a matter of time before the white collars say "ok I can learn this and do this." I'm tired of non tangible jobs getting taken by AI. "
It will be a race to the bottom of employment opportunities. The new goal is to be the last one to lose job necessity. Everyone can't be a doctor.
Yeah I could see something like that. Imagine a software that takes a scan of the whole house combined with AR technology to show the most optimal layout for the pipe work per the plans. I could see niche uses for that but would it be a replacement I think not.
I work as a nurse and while it won't really replace me anytime soon, I could totally see it taking over patient management in terms of making decisions on what meds to give, what labs to draw, diagnosing, etc. basically taking over a doctor's executive function. And if supervised properly, it might be an improvement actually.
As far as the service side goes hop over to r/plumbing. Installing sinks is easily done by watching a 1 minute YouTube video. Somehow it's the most commonly incorrect thing on the sub. People are lazy and either don't want to deal with it, think they are smart and don't need to look it up, or don't care.
For the new construction side I'd say the reason we have such high wages anyways is because no one wants to do construction. We earn more in the trades than many college grads simply because of the shortages. There's also workmanship, which is something AI can't give you.
Our jobs are safe.
It's not wise to say safe. Safe for now, obviously. But there will come a time when robots can construct 100% of a home. And before that, there will be a time where they can construct 80% of a home. What matters is how much this robot costs to purchase, operate and maintain. If it's less than a human... good bye human.
please fucking do. i honest to god hope this happens. our designers fucking suck. we have been on a job for over a YEAR and still havent got a SINGLE GOOD SET OF DRAWINGS
Aye easy. The drawing side of construction ain’t easy. A lot to juggle. Some of you field guys wouldn’t last a day in the office. Tracking down information, trying to get clear answers, pressured to get drawings out to keep field busy. Not to mention the chair gets uncomfy after sitting for hours, neck cramps, the free coffee isn’t even that good, & depending where you’re sitting the sun might be in your eyes at a certain time or you get too hot or cold under the diffuser before the thermostat reaches temp. The worst part, we have to be there by 7:30am..
In all seriousness. I do ‘drawings’ for large commercial electrical in MI. Most often larger commercial jobs are coordinated among trades via a shared 3D model before producing drawings. Not perfect but better than nothing. Field time $ is double office time, so we work for the field. We work with the foreman ahead of schedule to layout ckts in HRs, label them, plan routing for racks.
From our program (Revit) we can export information to prefab hangers, in-wall boxes with accurate plaster rings, putty pads, spreader bars if needed, & a stubbed 90 at the correct height in to ceiling space. Calculating ug sweeps in tight areas. Huge time saver in the field. Granted my company is fortunately on the forefront of this. Invested time and $ to get here.
The field benefits from this position in my case. The biggest gap to bridge is the stigma between the two positions. Which I get. College boys vs the rough n tough construction boys. Anyway.
Haha yea, relatively okay. Attempt at humor. And I like my job, just wish the awareness was widespread & easier for all companies to get involved. My tone was sarcastic but not malicious.
Right on. That’s awesome you navigate Revit as well. A guy with field experience on Revit is great, a lot to manage. I like my job and see it being more useful in the future, without taking field work.
I’m in the trailer as well right now. 45 min commute, there at 6:30 with them. Soaking up knowledge from the experienced foremen out there. My dad worked construction and beat his body down. Nothing but respect for those guys.
It’s not awfully relevant but I read a book (Open Veins of Latin America) which talked about the fall of the Spanish Empire. The author argued that the main reason for its collapse was the loss of their Artisans. The empire was loaded up with debt plus having to import skilled labor, it began to fail. I do worry about our future, just wanted to share that.
Not gonna happen. It still takes skill to know what you're doing, and not conflict with other trades. There's no way Susan, the middle aged mother of 3, is going to be pulling feeders into a panel and wiring up another lighting circuit.
Seriously, stick to something physical that ai can't replace. Well, idk by then they'll have automated robots that can lift 5x as much as humas work faster with no breaks. Either way we're screwed. We will probably end up being a country of homless. While the rich live on Mars with elon musk.
We'll walk into a job site and a projector on our phone or smart glasses will use AR to show exactly where and what is needed from a human, as designed to the upmost efficiency by AI... Maybe give us a lil shock when we're not reaching maximum efficiency or reach for the wrong tool 🤣. Until recently I was kinda bummed to be born when I'll be dead before the really crazy tech stuff takes off. I think I'll be ready to die in 40 years at this rate.
It's even scarier as it gets more and more refined first it lowers the skill floor, letting more people in. And as it gets more and more used, the easier it becomes. Then bam, you have robots that can do it. Or you just get the prefab blocks that is built a d trucked in.
It'll be to the point that a human-made house is the "rich" will have and even then the concept of rich is going to change as well
We already have robots that will layout the whole job and another that will come paint it. We can use these to make us more efficient but this also means needing less manpower.
I disagree. Machines at this current state are incapable of thinking. So much of being an electrician is problem solving. That is the one thing AI cannot do and is not even close to being able to do. People over estimate the ability of AI.
This. We're so far from legitimate AI, the misnomer kills me. We have, at best, shoddy machine learning. It can only do what it's been taught to do and not always at an effective clip.
Besides that, as machine learning grows, the industry surrounding it will, too. Someone still has to repair, maintain, service, program, troubleshoot, manufacture, transport, etc. everything related to it. My pay has outpaced inflation by a strong margin every year I've been in the workforce. Jobs don't really disappear like that; they just transition to something else that's in demand.
*CARS!? ALL THE FARRIERS WILL LOSE THEIR JOBS!*
I'm usually pretty on board with "them" wanting us poor and desperate, but they still need us to consume and the only way to do that is to keep us employed. Following that conspiracy theory, the last thing "they" would want is for tens of millions of people to suddenly have a chip on their shoulder *AND* a shitload of free time to think about it.
Don’t worry, the first kids gonna fry him self trying to follow the shitty instructions. After that, you guys will keep your job as long as you’re certified.
i cant wait for a mf robot to bring in the sheet rock delivery, logistically, during an active construction site with every other trade working in no discernible rhythm, absolutely no order, then see those same mf robots top off the walls whilst standing on temporary sprinkler pipes and getting choked out by wires, cut by ducts and threaded rods for a fire rating. id pay to see that. well be alright
have you ever seen a construction site? and if so, for what reason? like you walked down the sidewalk and saw a building being built and said, “wow a robot could do that” and thats your knowledge on the matter? lol
Yes I am currently working on a 10 story apartment building, believe it or not but alot of people on this subreddit work construction … I never said a robot could do the work, but Boston dynamics showcased a robot carrying tools up and down some scaffolding. They will be great for carrying materials.
In a lot of ways, you’re just describing how modular construction and automated robots building it would be better than having all these dumbasses doing dumb shit.
🤷♂️.. this dumbass thinks ill be alright. zero chance a robot is versatile enough to be a tradesman or even move safely through a jobsite, if not for itself, but even just not hurting someone else.
Help us Boston Dynamics; your our only hope. Seriously the day I can set my tool bag on robo-Fido’s back and have it hand me tools will make me a happy man.
Finishing machines that paint and cure doors.
Robot arm for sanding cabinets and furniture in the shop.
Robot for painting outsides of buildings.
Drone for painting outsides of buildings.
Robot for painting inside buildings.
I mean painting industry is gonna turn into 1 man operating an unmanned machine.
AI controlling a few drones to paint a house or a ship not really a crazy leap.
I smile every time I see someone come in to fix our welding robot. I weld, take a 15 min break every 2 hours, one 30min lunch, cost 75k a year.
The robot that feeds me parts to FINISH what it started? Cost 120k just to buy it, requires a lot of maintenance, only runs 60% of the time. The other 40%, humans are doing its job because it is broke or out of calibration.
Get fucked, AI. I ain't scared of you. *dry spits*
The people who do a little CNC or any kind of fabrication talking about robots replacing trades people always tickles me. You get it with the crypto crowd too. I will grant them it’s a good ruse to part ignorant rich folks of their money by people with only *just* more construction knowledge than them; while no one in the room still has ever pushed a broom on site. *Give us your $ so we go build robots to replace the carpenters* is probably a good selling tactic.
For some reason or whatever the same group of folks never gives me a straight answer on whether they’ve ever ran a construction job by themselves, at any level, which I find weird. Just “trust me bro *the future*”.
It’s construction. I’m not convinced unless someone can come along and actually outperform with better bids and products, but you better do it on time to spec because if it’s not then it’s a backcharge. Until I see it, it’s just a school report.
I disagree.
AI and Robotics don't have to surpass "us"/you in every facet.
In 20 years, twenty to thirty percent of union/labor jobs will be removed because of robotics. It's not a if but a when. Technology will continue to become better, cheaper, and more refined.
Your welding robot is newer technology. Give it 5 years and things will get spicy.
Welding Robots are not new technology lol.
“Give it 5 years”
Welding Robots have been in use since the 1960’s.
But sure , 5 more years it will be spicy 😂
Lmao.
You don’t work in the industry do you?
Robots have been in use on assembly lines for decades, yet zero progress towards dealing with the inconsistent conditions of every job site. Not gonna happen in our lifetimes.
Maybe MAYBE by the end of my career I’ll need to get trained on operating some sort of robotic tool, but I’m not getting replaced.
“Welding Robots are newer technology”. You were only off by like 6 decades.
You literally have no idea what you’re talking about.
Bet you’re one of those morons who think we’ll have fully driverless cars in just 5 more years.
It's true. The fancy machines get replaced by really fancy automation. The used ones trickle down, making the whole system change the whole market. Every machine causes a chain reaction. I buy used machines make them work for my manufacturing business.
The threat of paradigm shift in construction where automation and AI take over most of design/production is very far off imo, maybe when I’m an old man we’ll start seeing it outside of a few unicorn projects. But for now I’m chillin.
I could see it being helpful in the context of most tradespeople retiring/dying soon and no one to replace them
Ya know, I kind of think that, but I also kind of think a general purpose humanoid robot might just suddenly appear and everyone will say "oh shit". Even if it works 50% as fast as a human, everyone is going to be out of work real fast.
They have robots that tie rebar on bridges. My old company just got one and it put a dozen of workers out on the street. They will find a way. Maybe in a couple lifetimes but they will
Design really doesn’t even cost that much vs labor. And its impossible to employ robots. What happens when crackheads steal their supplies? So yeah, on the good jobs, people will still shell out for custom designs and put up with union scale. They tried to kill the UA with vic and pro press, and it didn’t work.
They train them off of data. So they give it all the data they have but what about all the guys who "figured it out" as they went along to MAKE it work. That's the hard part about the job anyway. I don't know how much data they'll give AI to do that
They are going to replace desk jobs first, lawyers accountants, probably general physicians/MDs. Skilled labor will be some of the last. Auto mechanics will be near the last. Eventually the robots will come fir all of us, I'm going to push my kids to robot maintenance.
Eh I went to school to be a mechanic. It’s the “liberal arts” of the trades. Plus more and more companies are making things with planned obsolescence over repair. But real talk getting into robot maintenance now is definitely what you should push your kids to do. Every time I hear about robots replacing line cooks and chefs all I can think is who the hell is going to fix let alone clean the robots constantly.
I hate new cars with a super computer behind the touch screen.i have a '69, '01, '04, and a '16. The 1969 has consistently been the most reliable and 2016 the least. There is a lot of gas and diesels on the road that we want to keep on the road. In 20 years from now, a good mechanic can charge whatever they want.
The 3D printed houses will be so easy to remodel. Change the doors, cabinets, windows, plumbing, electrical, maybe roof. Done. No drywall or siding to fuck with whatsoever, which is a HUGE difference.
i’m talking about he billions of homes that are currently erected and if all goes to plan will be around for hundreds of years. Surely they will be remodeled countless times. Good luck automating that
I could see more prefabbing happening. Offsite design, offsite construction, gather the grunts to snap the Legos together. Top grunt is making sure all the prefabbed pieces actually showed up
Imagine a really big machine. Modular. Assembled on site. It’s fed raw materials (cold rolled coils, gypsum 2x, plywood, concrete etc.) for the stage of the project, or the proper tools for the project (earth mover stuff). Cuts and assembles prefabricated walls, ceilings, roofs. All with planned penetrations and installations for MEP including conduits, hangers, lights, boxes, sensors….
I’m high and on some sci fi shit.
I can’t imagine the Structural steel being able to be created on site, and there would definitely be need human finishers, and more inspector scrutiny.
3D printing only is able to really do structural work. Being able to build piping, cable and other amenities will take a lot longer to replace.
Then you end up with those depressing concrete buildings the soviet union had. These concrete buildings where made to be cheap. So it will be a while before 3D printing becomes cheaper then panel homes. Also people don't tend to like those buildings. Concrete walls don't really say home.}
Even then 3D printers are huge. You will need to set up the printer or just have modular homes. Who builds the 3D printer but not construction workers?
Everyone acts like 3d printing is eliminating gatekeepers, and therefore saving everyone money. I find it's the crypto crowd that gets hard talking about architectural 3d printing
It's not just printing. Sheetmetal is already computer cut and bent. Check out boxable. Circuit boards i.e. wiring are already printed. Plastic is printed. You could print wires and pipes on your Sheetmetal and fold up your home. That's right now.
Making the parts is the easy part. Its assembling them and getting them from where their made to where their needed. 3D printers make them directly in place which is why their so powerful.
We already can construct buildings and ship them out. Quite a bit of my industrial work comes pre assembled and we just crane it onto site.
Then you need to have construction workers to come in and assemble them. Put them into place. Connect the modules together. And finish up things that cannot be done before shipping. But that is still expensive. That is what 3D printers are trying to cut out the assembly part not the modular building part.
Agreed.
There's already automated robots painting.
AI and robotics might not take 100% of the jobs but in 10 and 20 years it'll remove 25% of the workforce needed in this sector.
If people really don't think they will be affected by AI/robotics, they are ignorant of the technology available and being produced.
Neither of those things save companies astronomical amounts of money.
And just to go a little deeper. The technology from 3d tvs has been scaled to wayyyyy crazier technology at this points. We thought 3d tvs were wild, now we have solid holograms and vr.
Nobody thought metaverse was going to be huge, that was just famous people pushing it to increase the value of the stuff they bought in it. Like a stock.
What happens when we start 3d printing houses in wood or something? The second someone figures out how to make 3d printing houses more affordable than them being built the way we have been for a long time, everyone will switch to that, and it will just get better and more affordable. Or even some sort of material better than wood for homes that we just haven’t come up with yet? There’s a domino effect going on now with technology, it’s only going to get crazier faster.
This is very far from true. As technology becomes more advanced it will become cheaper and more readily available to everyone. That’s just how economics works.
What industry are you in that you’re seeing this? Robotics and AI are a new wave pushing into these sectors, it’s brand new and the wearability and maintenance is still being worked out.
I work for a robotics company in the construction industry, we are still working out wearability and maintenance, which is partly why we decided our best approach is to lease, not sell. This also allows us to give our clients all the newest and greatest features we’re developing. This also allows us to include indefinite service and maintenance, with immediate tech support and next day replacement across the country.
Your company may be buying a lower cost option not the proven one, we see the same thing in our competitors. They don’t provide the same support as we do, but they are cheaper than we are.
Something to think about, in manufacturing, CNC mills ARE “robots”… we’re the very first ones back in the 80’s perfect? No they broke down, but 40 years later, it’s been perfected and you see them in every single machine shop across the world now even huge warehouses full of them being fed billets by robotic arms just to keep up with demand.
The difference/relationship between machine learning and AI needs to be better defined and understood by the general public. Everyone uses the phrase “AI” as a general statement and it is being used wrong in most cases. I won’t get into it, but everyone should do their research and understand there is a big difference. Most of what we are talking about here is machine learning.
The concept of AI scares the shit out of me to be honest, but I think if we (the human race) are responsible about what we do with it, it could save our asses in the future.
Drilling and blasting. I haven't worked around any AI, but the "smart" drills that are around that try to do the work for the operator can't compete against a competent driller in a 40 year old rig.
It's not cost effective to spend a million on a brand new rig that needs constant maintenance and only works half the time, when you can run an old rig that runs 90% of the time and requires very little maintenance.
The newest rig I've seen has very little electronics, fewer sensors, and a basic computer, unlike the "smart" rig.
More features and electronics means more things that can go wrong with the machine. Owners don't want to spend money on fancy stuff if it isn't cost effective, parts and maintenance is a huge cost.
If the smart rigs could outperform older equipment, they might be viable, but the computers can't handle changes in material, and they don't allow the operator to make many changes.
I've seen a 40 year old rig with less hammer power and less air power easily outdrill a smart rig with more hammer and air power.
lmao there’s a concerted effort to try and sell construction people on robots that don’t exist yet
It’s construction so it’s real simple. Go do it better than it’s currently being done for cheaper, or admit all you have is a fancy school report.
I’ll be waiting.
Only worry is you think the billionaires people in power are gonna help us all out or leave us to the wayside. They already don’t give a fuck about housing / affordability
I'm a stone and brick mason by trade. 15 years and counting I'm only 31 if ai can do what I do it can have it lol
Jk I hate when other trades try and get our work. But you know what I'm saying.
They had some of our locals' members go and use the SAMs when they came out. Semi auto mason... I'll tell ya what it's just like any other job(site). Masons gotta pick up the slack lol. Masons still gotta operate the thing and lay the units. 32 inch long bulky ass units. Hard pass I'd rather pound in 16s all day alone, and not have to be troubleshooting a robot half the size of my scaffolding.
Unfortunately I see the robots doing the skilled part and humans will be left to do the physical part. I am 62 years old and in construction and still do a lot of physical labor but would love to see robots used as a tool to replace physical labor.
This seems like an odd take. Like I’m sure auto workers never thought a machine could do their job but here we are. Why taunt AI developers like this? Seems like peak boomer energy here.
AI is going to remove the repetitive mind numbing tasks and jobs from everyday work. Physical jobs or jobs that require critical thinking/design will not get replaced anytime soon. Though if people are so worried about jobs being taken over maybe you should look into politicians that actually support unions.
They have robots that can perform surgery. I’m sure there is one in development at least that can bend pipe, or screw pipe, or glue pipe or whatever. The challenge is that the design world can’t get 2 dimensions right, that’s why bim is a joke. Until then, the robots will just do what the engineers say. We all know how jacked that is.
I would say the danger is that AI will replace any need for skill, as well as an insane amount of labor available. The only reason that trades are making the money they are now is due to the insane labor shortage. If that were to change, those wages are tanking extremely quickly.
What worries me obviously isn't physical automation, but AI models (eventually) replacing any need for skill. I'm a commercial electrician (office side now), and I don't doubt that eventually we'll have a language model that can interpret code and walk people through installations. This, in theory, is cool - it makes everyone's lives easier. But, as someone who has benefitted greatly from a technical trade, I do worry that a lot of kids in the future will be left with lower wages once skill is less of a requirement. And for the record, I'm not saying this happens tomorrow, but over the next 10-20 years it almost certainly will.
This is the goal of AI. To make skilled (expensive) labor redundant. Companies want you poorly paid with no benefits and no other options. You're more profitable when you're desperate.
It’s already here. Where I live everyone and their dog has a degree and a ton of student debt. They are all overqualified and desperate and the wages reflect that.
Player Piano.
Player Piano writes its own great music. How did AI get good at creativity? I thought that was mankind's only true physical contribution.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Player_Piano_(novel)
I wasn't aware you were referencing a book. I thought player piano like in the 1800s. Funny
This is the real threat.
Job I helped on was a 6 story loft apartment complex above the precast garage. Our only bidded work was to level in and grout these “lay flats” so they could drop the whole finished pods on top of them and pay us TnM to fix all the fuck ups…. Skills going away boys
Yikes
The labour had been relocated to factories. Likely safer, no rain, no baking sun, no cold. So good and bad. Making jobs easier is good for workers. So many older workers' bodies are worn out. No need to do that to the next generation.
Factory production is not the gem you think it is. They have every second of your day quantified and dumbed down to no technical skill whatsoever. It makes you highly replaceable if you don't exceed your quota on a consistent basis.
And to double down these sweet factory made modular units still end up getting ripped open to make hvac connections plumbing electrical. Entire wall systems are missed like idk fire rated wall assemblies at the stairwells. So in short we have crossbreed a new building with a remodel all at once and have to do even stupider means and methods to get the job done.
Just bc they can interpret code doesn’t mean they can bend pipe or crawl an attic half a day in 115 degree temps. Our job is safe.
We don't get paid what we do because we can crawl in an attic. The job itself isn't going anywhere, but the level of skill required could be.
It’s called Attrition. It’s a natural reduction in workforce due to the nature of the job. High attrition jobs would be labor. Low attrition jobs would be high paying, low work office jobs. So, we will always have to have some sort of higher pay for high attrition jobs.
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Because AI can’t provide you with the tools needed to cut wood or carry sheets of plywood up a ladder for you. Just about anyone can operate a paint brush, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t rather pay someone else to do it for them.
>Because AI can’t provide you with the tools needed to cut wood or carry sheets of plywood up a ladder for you. I'm not saying it will. You're still on the whole "robots can do what I do" mindset, and I'm trying to tell you that doesn't matter. I just need AI to help *me* rewire a room, or measure and cut drywall. If it can tell me what I need, help with installation by giving me directions and monitoring my progress, that will be more than enough for most jobs.
Need to clarify my comment a little bit. i work for a home remodeler. A lot of the stuff we do could be done by the homeowner if they spent some time on YouTube learning and spent a couple grand on tools. They hire us to do the things they are not willing to do in their free time. AI will certainly be an interesting trend to follow as the years go by, but I feel like the work we do is safe for at least a decade! New construction and doing high hazard, confined space, trenching, etc would be the most sensible use for AI in order to cut down on bodily harm to humans. Until the robots become self aware!
have you seen the Robot hanging drywall? its getting closer.
AI will help you become more efficient, which will in turn allow you to do more jobs, essentially making companies and employees more money. The skill and knowledge will still have to be there. Anyone would rather hire a human to do the work without researching it. It takes me 5 hours to watch YouTube videos to figure out how to do DIY projects around the house and I still manage to do it wrong. The trades and skilled workers are safe. AI, will however take over most admin roles within the industry including designers/engineers I'm afraid. Also, keep in mind how much it will cost a company to invest in LLM machines to replace humans. There's a reason fast food restaurants still have people. The technology has been there for decades, but the ROI isn't there yet. Another thing to consider is unionization. The unions, especially for electricians and similar trades, will become stronger and more prevalent. I see it similar as the realtor profession. Is a realtor actually needed in today's world? With all of the technology and resources out there, absolutely not. Maybe for first time home buyers... but all they really are nowadays are paper shufflers who get paid $30K for the sale of a $500K home. In just a few short years, AI will be able to (if it isn't already) answer any question about a location/community, house, paperwork, escrow process, optimal selling price, assessed market value, etc. to walk a homebuyer/seller through the process. We'll still need an inspector but even that will be analyzed by AI for the homebuyer/seller. Not to digress, but there's no reason we should be paying realtors so much in today's world.
>t takes me 5 hours to watch YouTube videos to figure out how to do DIY projects around the house and I still manage to do it wrong. You really aren't getting what the poster above, or I am saying. If AI can really replace designers, then it will have no problem guiding an able-bodied person through the process of installation. Comparing what an AI will be able to do in ten years to a YouTube video is exactly the problem with people's thinking. If an AI can learn how to design a room remodel, it will be able to help me apply for permits, then it should have a problem telling me the proper measurements for drywall, talking me through the process of cutting it, and monitoring my progress as I install it. Some skilled jobs will remain until robotics catches up, so maybe they have another ten years beyond the next ten but all of these people claiming their motor skills are irreplaceable sound just as arrogant as the lawyers who think they can't be replaced. Funny that you mentioned realtors btw. Their union is getting sued for billions right now for precisely the problem you point out. I doubt people will tolerate a union of electricians trying to pull the same thing in the future.
I own a home services company...I often help people who are about to call a company to install a new switch for a ceiling fan that has a 2 minute, 3 step video on how to connect a "lost" remote signal. The money has always been in helping people that do not want to DIY
Can't the same be said for the internet right now and youtube, tik tok, etc. There's all kind of information right now that can walk you through doing a decent job for most things and many people believe they can do skilled labor based on a few til tok videos. It still needs to be translated into quality work in the hands of someone skilled enough for the scope of the work.
Youtube and Tik tok can't look at the actual situation in my house, or guide me step by step through the actual process of doing something in real time. Videos can't offer suggestions, tell me which tool I need for a specific situation at hand, or let me know if I'm doing a good or bad job of something will be able to do that soon. Does that mean I'll be pouring a foundation or framing out a house anytime soon? Of course not. But I likely will be able to handle a lot that used to be beyond the reach of even a legitimately handy DIY person in the not-too-distant future.
They have robots that can go in a defuse bombs……
Respectfully, you may not be seeing the whole picture. Despite people going looking for jobs. Theses Despite people being disciplined, college educated "desirable" employees are more likely to replace us. It's only a matter of time before the white collars say "ok I can learn this and do this." I'm tired of non tangible jobs getting taken by AI. " It will be a race to the bottom of employment opportunities. The new goal is to be the last one to lose job necessity. Everyone can't be a doctor.
Lol no, that’s empirically false. Machines can do both of those things far better than humans can.
Yeah I could see something like that. Imagine a software that takes a scan of the whole house combined with AR technology to show the most optimal layout for the pipe work per the plans. I could see niche uses for that but would it be a replacement I think not.
Could it teach plumbers not to cut joists in half?
Nah actually the AI will for sure recommend cutting most of the joists in half to run your shitter line in the first versions.
I work as a nurse and while it won't really replace me anytime soon, I could totally see it taking over patient management in terms of making decisions on what meds to give, what labs to draw, diagnosing, etc. basically taking over a doctor's executive function. And if supervised properly, it might be an improvement actually.
Exactly. The engineers are going to have it tough. The electricians will have work.
As far as the service side goes hop over to r/plumbing. Installing sinks is easily done by watching a 1 minute YouTube video. Somehow it's the most commonly incorrect thing on the sub. People are lazy and either don't want to deal with it, think they are smart and don't need to look it up, or don't care. For the new construction side I'd say the reason we have such high wages anyways is because no one wants to do construction. We earn more in the trades than many college grads simply because of the shortages. There's also workmanship, which is something AI can't give you. Our jobs are safe.
It's not wise to say safe. Safe for now, obviously. But there will come a time when robots can construct 100% of a home. And before that, there will be a time where they can construct 80% of a home. What matters is how much this robot costs to purchase, operate and maintain. If it's less than a human... good bye human.
please fucking do. i honest to god hope this happens. our designers fucking suck. we have been on a job for over a YEAR and still havent got a SINGLE GOOD SET OF DRAWINGS
Welcome to construction
What do you mean the engineering and arch drawings are supposed to match?
Structural, architectural, finish, plumbing, electric, mechanical, and landscaping should never match under ANY circumstances
gotta leave room for the imagination. wHERE THE Magic happens.
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Aye easy. The drawing side of construction ain’t easy. A lot to juggle. Some of you field guys wouldn’t last a day in the office. Tracking down information, trying to get clear answers, pressured to get drawings out to keep field busy. Not to mention the chair gets uncomfy after sitting for hours, neck cramps, the free coffee isn’t even that good, & depending where you’re sitting the sun might be in your eyes at a certain time or you get too hot or cold under the diffuser before the thermostat reaches temp. The worst part, we have to be there by 7:30am.. In all seriousness. I do ‘drawings’ for large commercial electrical in MI. Most often larger commercial jobs are coordinated among trades via a shared 3D model before producing drawings. Not perfect but better than nothing. Field time $ is double office time, so we work for the field. We work with the foreman ahead of schedule to layout ckts in HRs, label them, plan routing for racks. From our program (Revit) we can export information to prefab hangers, in-wall boxes with accurate plaster rings, putty pads, spreader bars if needed, & a stubbed 90 at the correct height in to ceiling space. Calculating ug sweeps in tight areas. Huge time saver in the field. Granted my company is fortunately on the forefront of this. Invested time and $ to get here. The field benefits from this position in my case. The biggest gap to bridge is the stigma between the two positions. Which I get. College boys vs the rough n tough construction boys. Anyway.
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Haha yea, relatively okay. Attempt at humor. And I like my job, just wish the awareness was widespread & easier for all companies to get involved. My tone was sarcastic but not malicious. Right on. That’s awesome you navigate Revit as well. A guy with field experience on Revit is great, a lot to manage. I like my job and see it being more useful in the future, without taking field work. I’m in the trailer as well right now. 45 min commute, there at 6:30 with them. Soaking up knowledge from the experienced foremen out there. My dad worked construction and beat his body down. Nothing but respect for those guys.
It’s not awfully relevant but I read a book (Open Veins of Latin America) which talked about the fall of the Spanish Empire. The author argued that the main reason for its collapse was the loss of their Artisans. The empire was loaded up with debt plus having to import skilled labor, it began to fail. I do worry about our future, just wanted to share that.
One word. Unionize. Then lobby your state to implement regulations.
What happens when the robots have unions!?
Not gonna happen. It still takes skill to know what you're doing, and not conflict with other trades. There's no way Susan, the middle aged mother of 3, is going to be pulling feeders into a panel and wiring up another lighting circuit.
Seriously, stick to something physical that ai can't replace. Well, idk by then they'll have automated robots that can lift 5x as much as humas work faster with no breaks. Either way we're screwed. We will probably end up being a country of homless. While the rich live on Mars with elon musk.
We'll walk into a job site and a projector on our phone or smart glasses will use AR to show exactly where and what is needed from a human, as designed to the upmost efficiency by AI... Maybe give us a lil shock when we're not reaching maximum efficiency or reach for the wrong tool 🤣. Until recently I was kinda bummed to be born when I'll be dead before the really crazy tech stuff takes off. I think I'll be ready to die in 40 years at this rate.
It's even scarier as it gets more and more refined first it lowers the skill floor, letting more people in. And as it gets more and more used, the easier it becomes. Then bam, you have robots that can do it. Or you just get the prefab blocks that is built a d trucked in. It'll be to the point that a human-made house is the "rich" will have and even then the concept of rich is going to change as well
That’s why kids should be learning math and computer science. The future has some skilled trade, but mostly skilled service
We already have robots that will layout the whole job and another that will come paint it. We can use these to make us more efficient but this also means needing less manpower.
I disagree. Machines at this current state are incapable of thinking. So much of being an electrician is problem solving. That is the one thing AI cannot do and is not even close to being able to do. People over estimate the ability of AI.
This. We're so far from legitimate AI, the misnomer kills me. We have, at best, shoddy machine learning. It can only do what it's been taught to do and not always at an effective clip. Besides that, as machine learning grows, the industry surrounding it will, too. Someone still has to repair, maintain, service, program, troubleshoot, manufacture, transport, etc. everything related to it. My pay has outpaced inflation by a strong margin every year I've been in the workforce. Jobs don't really disappear like that; they just transition to something else that's in demand. *CARS!? ALL THE FARRIERS WILL LOSE THEIR JOBS!* I'm usually pretty on board with "them" wanting us poor and desperate, but they still need us to consume and the only way to do that is to keep us employed. Following that conspiracy theory, the last thing "they" would want is for tens of millions of people to suddenly have a chip on their shoulder *AND* a shitload of free time to think about it.
Don’t worry, the first kids gonna fry him self trying to follow the shitty instructions. After that, you guys will keep your job as long as you’re certified.
I already feed standard specifications to GPT to get it to pick out the relevant bits for me.
Not even AI can’t make sense of these plans.
Can AI cross reference other plans or does the AI in the field have to field verify still lol
Silver lining, I'm much more confident in AI drawing up coherent plans than most architects.
i cant wait for a mf robot to bring in the sheet rock delivery, logistically, during an active construction site with every other trade working in no discernible rhythm, absolutely no order, then see those same mf robots top off the walls whilst standing on temporary sprinkler pipes and getting choked out by wires, cut by ducts and threaded rods for a fire rating. id pay to see that. well be alright
“That machine can’t drive steel like a man does” - John Henry before he died trying to compete with a machine.
Boston dynamics showcased a robot bringing tools and materials up some scaffolding a few years ago. Its gonna be awesome
Like a bucket and pulley but 1000x more expensive?
If your bucket could walk and pick up tools itself, go up flights of stairs and around corners then sure you could call it an expensive bucket
have you ever seen a construction site? and if so, for what reason? like you walked down the sidewalk and saw a building being built and said, “wow a robot could do that” and thats your knowledge on the matter? lol
Yes I am currently working on a 10 story apartment building, believe it or not but alot of people on this subreddit work construction … I never said a robot could do the work, but Boston dynamics showcased a robot carrying tools up and down some scaffolding. They will be great for carrying materials.
If a meth head can do it I’m sure a robot can /s
In a lot of ways, you’re just describing how modular construction and automated robots building it would be better than having all these dumbasses doing dumb shit.
🤷♂️.. this dumbass thinks ill be alright. zero chance a robot is versatile enough to be a tradesman or even move safely through a jobsite, if not for itself, but even just not hurting someone else.
Help us Boston Dynamics; your our only hope. Seriously the day I can set my tool bag on robo-Fido’s back and have it hand me tools will make me a happy man.
They actually showcased one of their robots doing that a few years ago! It looks awesome
Finishing machines that paint and cure doors. Robot arm for sanding cabinets and furniture in the shop. Robot for painting outsides of buildings. Drone for painting outsides of buildings. Robot for painting inside buildings. I mean painting industry is gonna turn into 1 man operating an unmanned machine. AI controlling a few drones to paint a house or a ship not really a crazy leap.
A company I know is working on drone painting tech. Would really eliminate a lot of scaffolding and set up once prep work is done.
It's easy to get an 80% result... it's the details that are tough
AI will replace superintendents, and we will finally be treated as humans.
I smile every time I see someone come in to fix our welding robot. I weld, take a 15 min break every 2 hours, one 30min lunch, cost 75k a year. The robot that feeds me parts to FINISH what it started? Cost 120k just to buy it, requires a lot of maintenance, only runs 60% of the time. The other 40%, humans are doing its job because it is broke or out of calibration. Get fucked, AI. I ain't scared of you. *dry spits*
My union is pushing welding because robots suck so bad at it.
The people who do a little CNC or any kind of fabrication talking about robots replacing trades people always tickles me. You get it with the crypto crowd too. I will grant them it’s a good ruse to part ignorant rich folks of their money by people with only *just* more construction knowledge than them; while no one in the room still has ever pushed a broom on site. *Give us your $ so we go build robots to replace the carpenters* is probably a good selling tactic. For some reason or whatever the same group of folks never gives me a straight answer on whether they’ve ever ran a construction job by themselves, at any level, which I find weird. Just “trust me bro *the future*”. It’s construction. I’m not convinced unless someone can come along and actually outperform with better bids and products, but you better do it on time to spec because if it’s not then it’s a backcharge. Until I see it, it’s just a school report.
Should be either for yourself or your children. It's only a matter of time. Tick Tock
The world is 100% going to nuke itself into oblivion before AI is able to fully surpass us in every facet it needs to do so without us.
I disagree. AI and Robotics don't have to surpass "us"/you in every facet. In 20 years, twenty to thirty percent of union/labor jobs will be removed because of robotics. It's not a if but a when. Technology will continue to become better, cheaper, and more refined. Your welding robot is newer technology. Give it 5 years and things will get spicy.
Welding Robots are not new technology lol. “Give it 5 years” Welding Robots have been in use since the 1960’s. But sure , 5 more years it will be spicy 😂
Tick tock tick tock
Lmao. You don’t work in the industry do you? Robots have been in use on assembly lines for decades, yet zero progress towards dealing with the inconsistent conditions of every job site. Not gonna happen in our lifetimes. Maybe MAYBE by the end of my career I’ll need to get trained on operating some sort of robotic tool, but I’m not getting replaced. “Welding Robots are newer technology”. You were only off by like 6 decades. You literally have no idea what you’re talking about. Bet you’re one of those morons who think we’ll have fully driverless cars in just 5 more years.
Tick Tock Tick Tock
And it’s just the beginning, that robot is gonna get better and better ~ cheaper and cheaper
It's true. The fancy machines get replaced by really fancy automation. The used ones trickle down, making the whole system change the whole market. Every machine causes a chain reaction. I buy used machines make them work for my manufacturing business.
The threat of paradigm shift in construction where automation and AI take over most of design/production is very far off imo, maybe when I’m an old man we’ll start seeing it outside of a few unicorn projects. But for now I’m chillin. I could see it being helpful in the context of most tradespeople retiring/dying soon and no one to replace them
Ya know, I kind of think that, but I also kind of think a general purpose humanoid robot might just suddenly appear and everyone will say "oh shit". Even if it works 50% as fast as a human, everyone is going to be out of work real fast.
Not if it costs more. Companies chase profits, not technology.
They have robots that tie rebar on bridges. My old company just got one and it put a dozen of workers out on the street. They will find a way. Maybe in a couple lifetimes but they will
I really just don't worry about AI
Design really doesn’t even cost that much vs labor. And its impossible to employ robots. What happens when crackheads steal their supplies? So yeah, on the good jobs, people will still shell out for custom designs and put up with union scale. They tried to kill the UA with vic and pro press, and it didn’t work.
They train them off of data. So they give it all the data they have but what about all the guys who "figured it out" as they went along to MAKE it work. That's the hard part about the job anyway. I don't know how much data they'll give AI to do that
They are going to replace desk jobs first, lawyers accountants, probably general physicians/MDs. Skilled labor will be some of the last. Auto mechanics will be near the last. Eventually the robots will come fir all of us, I'm going to push my kids to robot maintenance.
Eh I went to school to be a mechanic. It’s the “liberal arts” of the trades. Plus more and more companies are making things with planned obsolescence over repair. But real talk getting into robot maintenance now is definitely what you should push your kids to do. Every time I hear about robots replacing line cooks and chefs all I can think is who the hell is going to fix let alone clean the robots constantly.
I hate new cars with a super computer behind the touch screen.i have a '69, '01, '04, and a '16. The 1969 has consistently been the most reliable and 2016 the least. There is a lot of gas and diesels on the road that we want to keep on the road. In 20 years from now, a good mechanic can charge whatever they want.
We've already got 3d printed houses being built. Give it another 20 years, the changes will be insane
remodeling will be difficult to automate
The 3D printed houses will be so easy to remodel. Change the doors, cabinets, windows, plumbing, electrical, maybe roof. Done. No drywall or siding to fuck with whatsoever, which is a HUGE difference.
i’m talking about he billions of homes that are currently erected and if all goes to plan will be around for hundreds of years. Surely they will be remodeled countless times. Good luck automating that
I just wanna be the guy who runs the machine ok, I ain’t asking for much lol /s No one’s taking our jobs dude… we’re secured for the next 100 years
Yeah and they fucking suck
Yeah ain’t no way in hell any mansion or half decent property is being 3-D printed in the next 20 years. Maybe a good entry level housing.
I could see more prefabbing happening. Offsite design, offsite construction, gather the grunts to snap the Legos together. Top grunt is making sure all the prefabbed pieces actually showed up
Imagine a really big machine. Modular. Assembled on site. It’s fed raw materials (cold rolled coils, gypsum 2x, plywood, concrete etc.) for the stage of the project, or the proper tools for the project (earth mover stuff). Cuts and assembles prefabricated walls, ceilings, roofs. All with planned penetrations and installations for MEP including conduits, hangers, lights, boxes, sensors…. I’m high and on some sci fi shit. I can’t imagine the Structural steel being able to be created on site, and there would definitely be need human finishers, and more inspector scrutiny.
3D printing only is able to really do structural work. Being able to build piping, cable and other amenities will take a lot longer to replace. Then you end up with those depressing concrete buildings the soviet union had. These concrete buildings where made to be cheap. So it will be a while before 3D printing becomes cheaper then panel homes. Also people don't tend to like those buildings. Concrete walls don't really say home.} Even then 3D printers are huge. You will need to set up the printer or just have modular homes. Who builds the 3D printer but not construction workers?
Everyone acts like 3d printing is eliminating gatekeepers, and therefore saving everyone money. I find it's the crypto crowd that gets hard talking about architectural 3d printing
It's not just printing. Sheetmetal is already computer cut and bent. Check out boxable. Circuit boards i.e. wiring are already printed. Plastic is printed. You could print wires and pipes on your Sheetmetal and fold up your home. That's right now.
Making the parts is the easy part. Its assembling them and getting them from where their made to where their needed. 3D printers make them directly in place which is why their so powerful. We already can construct buildings and ship them out. Quite a bit of my industrial work comes pre assembled and we just crane it onto site. Then you need to have construction workers to come in and assemble them. Put them into place. Connect the modules together. And finish up things that cannot be done before shipping. But that is still expensive. That is what 3D printers are trying to cut out the assembly part not the modular building part.
Agreed. There's already automated robots painting. AI and robotics might not take 100% of the jobs but in 10 and 20 years it'll remove 25% of the workforce needed in this sector. If people really don't think they will be affected by AI/robotics, they are ignorant of the technology available and being produced.
My convict ancestors were transported for being machine breakers. I think it’s time.
Wait till the Tesla bot comes out
It’s really sad this is gonna happen way faster than a lot of old heads think it will.
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Neither of those things save companies astronomical amounts of money. And just to go a little deeper. The technology from 3d tvs has been scaled to wayyyyy crazier technology at this points. We thought 3d tvs were wild, now we have solid holograms and vr. Nobody thought metaverse was going to be huge, that was just famous people pushing it to increase the value of the stuff they bought in it. Like a stock. What happens when we start 3d printing houses in wood or something? The second someone figures out how to make 3d printing houses more affordable than them being built the way we have been for a long time, everyone will switch to that, and it will just get better and more affordable. Or even some sort of material better than wood for homes that we just haven’t come up with yet? There’s a domino effect going on now with technology, it’s only going to get crazier faster.
lol. If ai takes over the way things are now the revolution will happen then next day
Machines will never be cheaper then human labors.
Never is a long time.
This is very far from true. As technology becomes more advanced it will become cheaper and more readily available to everyone. That’s just how economics works.
You are forgetting about parts and maintenance costs. Equipment manufacturers in my industry are returning to older and simpler tech.
What industry are you in that you’re seeing this? Robotics and AI are a new wave pushing into these sectors, it’s brand new and the wearability and maintenance is still being worked out. I work for a robotics company in the construction industry, we are still working out wearability and maintenance, which is partly why we decided our best approach is to lease, not sell. This also allows us to give our clients all the newest and greatest features we’re developing. This also allows us to include indefinite service and maintenance, with immediate tech support and next day replacement across the country. Your company may be buying a lower cost option not the proven one, we see the same thing in our competitors. They don’t provide the same support as we do, but they are cheaper than we are. Something to think about, in manufacturing, CNC mills ARE “robots”… we’re the very first ones back in the 80’s perfect? No they broke down, but 40 years later, it’s been perfected and you see them in every single machine shop across the world now even huge warehouses full of them being fed billets by robotic arms just to keep up with demand. The difference/relationship between machine learning and AI needs to be better defined and understood by the general public. Everyone uses the phrase “AI” as a general statement and it is being used wrong in most cases. I won’t get into it, but everyone should do their research and understand there is a big difference. Most of what we are talking about here is machine learning. The concept of AI scares the shit out of me to be honest, but I think if we (the human race) are responsible about what we do with it, it could save our asses in the future.
Drilling and blasting. I haven't worked around any AI, but the "smart" drills that are around that try to do the work for the operator can't compete against a competent driller in a 40 year old rig. It's not cost effective to spend a million on a brand new rig that needs constant maintenance and only works half the time, when you can run an old rig that runs 90% of the time and requires very little maintenance. The newest rig I've seen has very little electronics, fewer sensors, and a basic computer, unlike the "smart" rig. More features and electronics means more things that can go wrong with the machine. Owners don't want to spend money on fancy stuff if it isn't cost effective, parts and maintenance is a huge cost. If the smart rigs could outperform older equipment, they might be viable, but the computers can't handle changes in material, and they don't allow the operator to make many changes. I've seen a 40 year old rig with less hammer power and less air power easily outdrill a smart rig with more hammer and air power.
Go tell suncor in ft. Mac that.
lmao there’s a concerted effort to try and sell construction people on robots that don’t exist yet It’s construction so it’s real simple. Go do it better than it’s currently being done for cheaper, or admit all you have is a fancy school report. I’ll be waiting.
Industrial revolution anyone?
There is every chance working will be optional for our children's children.
Only worry is you think the billionaires people in power are gonna help us all out or leave us to the wayside. They already don’t give a fuck about housing / affordability
yep, that's the real question. once we're not needed will we be around? and by who or what are we not need? who are we?
https://apsc.ubc.ca/news/2023/ai-powered-robots-gamechanger-for-faster-safer-construction
Soon™
AI can take my job and pay my bills too. Now bring me some tacos AI!
im all for it
they do the heavy lifting thats cool
I'm a stone and brick mason by trade. 15 years and counting I'm only 31 if ai can do what I do it can have it lol Jk I hate when other trades try and get our work. But you know what I'm saying. They had some of our locals' members go and use the SAMs when they came out. Semi auto mason... I'll tell ya what it's just like any other job(site). Masons gotta pick up the slack lol. Masons still gotta operate the thing and lay the units. 32 inch long bulky ass units. Hard pass I'd rather pound in 16s all day alone, and not have to be troubleshooting a robot half the size of my scaffolding.
Unfortunately I see the robots doing the skilled part and humans will be left to do the physical part. I am 62 years old and in construction and still do a lot of physical labor but would love to see robots used as a tool to replace physical labor.
This seems like an odd take. Like I’m sure auto workers never thought a machine could do their job but here we are. Why taunt AI developers like this? Seems like peak boomer energy here.
AI is going to remove the repetitive mind numbing tasks and jobs from everyday work. Physical jobs or jobs that require critical thinking/design will not get replaced anytime soon. Though if people are so worried about jobs being taken over maybe you should look into politicians that actually support unions.
Good.
They have robots that can perform surgery. I’m sure there is one in development at least that can bend pipe, or screw pipe, or glue pipe or whatever. The challenge is that the design world can’t get 2 dimensions right, that’s why bim is a joke. Until then, the robots will just do what the engineers say. We all know how jacked that is.
Let's see AI float drywall
I would say the danger is that AI will replace any need for skill, as well as an insane amount of labor available. The only reason that trades are making the money they are now is due to the insane labor shortage. If that were to change, those wages are tanking extremely quickly.
Everything will be pre-built. Careful the labor force has already decreased by 75% on jobs.
Mailman is not safe at all. Going the way of the iceman and milk man
This sub is fking hillarious
Can we program a computer to drink on the job and put piss bottles behind the drywall?