Artificial Intelligence (AI) Overview

Nowadays, AI is becoming deeply integrated into nearly every aspect of our daily lives. From tools like ChatGPT, which can assist with everything from answering everyday questions to solving complex problems, to platforms like Midjourney, capable of generating virtually any image you can envision, AI is reshaping how we interact with technology.

These advanced systems have become essential in both personal and professional settings, with their adoption and popularity skyrocketing as more people become familiar with their capabilities and comfortable using them. As AI continues to evolve, its influence will likely expand even further, driving innovation across industries and changing the way we live and work.

Even the world of tennis is embracing AI, with the All England Club confirming on October 9, 2024 that human line judges will be replaced by artificial intelligence at next year’s Wimbledon Championships. Automated electronic line-calling will be implemented across all 18 courts, marking a significant shift in the tournament’s 147-year history, as it will be the first time no human officials will be used for line judging.

Concrete Industry and AI

Although the adoption of technology is common across many industries, the concrete industry has traditionally been more reserved and slower to embrace new advancements. Concrete, as the world’s second most consumed material—second only to water—plays a critical role in public safety, being used in residential, commercial, and large-scale infrastructure projects. While technological innovations can enhance productivity and efficiency, the industry remains cautious due to the long-term performance expectations of concrete, which is typically designed to last 50 to 100 years—far beyond the lifespan of many other products.

Innovative technology companies have begun to address the sustainability challenges of concrete by leveraging their resources and AI to help ready-mix producers enhance both the performance of their products and the efficiency of their manufacturing processes.

Here are the most recent AI technologies being provided to the concrete industry:

Concrete.ai is a data science company focused on leveraging artificial intelligence to optimize concrete production. With its generative AI-powered platform, Concrete Copilot, the company generates millions of potential mix designs, enabling producers to quickly identify the best concrete recipe for any given application. The platform can predict the performance of these mixes in seconds, transforming a process that typically takes weeks into just minutes. This streamlined approach not only saves producers time and money but also enhances productivity and can reduce embodied carbon by up to 30%.

Giatec‘s vision is to revolutionize the concrete industry. Combining wireless concrete sensors and mobile apps, Giatec has developed smart IoT-based technologies for real-time monitoring of concrete properties such as temperature, humidity and strength as well as mix design optimization tools for ready-mix producers. SmartMix™ is an AI-driven mix management software that centralizes all concrete production and quality data in one platform. Powered by Roxi, it ensures perfect blend consistency through real-time adjustments. As the only solution of its kind for the ready-mix industry, SmartMix™ gives producers complete control with advanced AI insights for optimized mix management.

Giatec has recently secured $17.5M from the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) to advance their SmartMix™ platform which will power the world’s first smart ready-mix concrete plant and support Canada’s vision for net-zero concrete by 2050.

Marcotte Systems, now part of Command Alkon, offers the world’s first AI-powered solution for real-time optimization of concrete production. MIntelligent Feed adapts to changing plant conditions to ensure consistent quality and optimal material usage. This system delivers precise, specification-compliant concrete production while minimizing deviations, resulting in superior quality.

Established in 1930, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) is the foremost advocate for the concrete industry in the United States. Their mission is to drive growth and success for our members and the industry by promoting leadership in safety, environmental stewardship, operational excellence, advocacy, workforce development, and advancements in concrete technology.

On October 10th, in collaboration with XBE, NRMCA launched AskConcrete, the first AI-powered answer engine for the ready-mix concrete industry. AskConcrete is trained on hundreds of NRMCA publications and possesses extensive knowledge of concrete and construction topics.

With these innovative tools, the traditional concrete industry is set to experience significant improvements in both sustainability and overall performance. As AI adoption becomes more widespread, it will be seen as the standard, making slow adoption a thing of the past.

Feel free to share this information and let me know if you’re aware of any other A.I. tools!

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