IROBOT: Becoming a Reality?

HOST

Matt Sharp

Chief Digital Officer

matt.sharp@uk.rlb.com

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I had the privilege of hosting RLB’s ‘I:ROBOT: Becoming a Reality’ session at UKREiiF. As I sat on stage, listening to the insights pouring in from some of the most forward-thinking minds in AI, construction and data, one thing became clear: the future we used to imagine is nearly here. The question is now longer whether AI and tech are coming, it’s whether we are ready for it.

We began with robots and hearing from Starship Technologies about how they have been operating automated delivery robots for the past 11 years, fulfilling over 8 million last-mile deliveries. We know that balancing technology with a depth of understanding of how AI interacts with humans is critical for social acceptance and Starship outlined how companies deploying robots must collaborate with schools, police, local disability groups and charities to ensure that the communities they operate within first experience with AI is positive, helping society embrace, rather than reject innovation.

Smart developments and valuable digital assets

Mapping a city’s infrastructure doesn’t just make autonomous AI work smoothly though, it also raises bigger questions about the digital assets that smart developers hold – from BIM models to digital twins.

I challenged the panel with the questions, ‘How do we ensure these valuable assets aren’t wasted post-handover?’ Do we need contractual or cultural shifts to unlock long-term value? And how should legal frameworks evolve so that supply chains deliver not just to specification, but also contribute to resilient, connected communities?

There were differing opinions on the value of data sets and whether monetarising whole life data cycles is truly the future or whether data should simply be seen as a byproduct of smart design.

Yet others argued that once the right data foundations and digital environments are in place, AI can deliver real value, from benchmark performance and managing assets to enhancing user experience through apps and customer insights. Even so, it was noted that we’re only scratching the surface with current monetarisation representing just 0.5% of data’s true potential.

Vanity metrics with data for data sake?

Yet, we must think about what we are trying to achieve and not get caught up in vanity metrics with data for data’s sake. Are the real-world complexities being lost in oversimplified decision tools? The shift from static reports to real life data infrastructures was highlighted, and how it had transformed how we understand and respond to change. Was the built environment overmanaged in its process, risk adverse with stakeholders looking for research that gives them the answers they want to hear rather than understanding the landscape? All risks that today’s AI-powered, real-time data can help solve.

So why are asset managers holding back on using AI?

Speaking from my own role as Chief Digital Officer at RLB, I know that AI, digital and data can be edgy topics, and often there is a human and an industry response. Often, we talk about contractual response and resistance to change, but we know that change is happening, and we need to ensure that as an industry we adapt to that change.

So, if AI promises so much, why are some asset managers still hesitant? Was it risk adversity, legacy tools or business model misalignment? The conclusion was that it was complex – firstly, humans’ appetite for change is limited, wanting to learn from others’ mistakes first. Secondly, legacy systems were once barriers to adoption, though many of these obstacles were now being overcome.

Where is the UK in the digital transformation?

At RLB, we are seeing some clients pushing ahead at speed, while others remain cautious. Meanwhile, data and digital professionals increasingly work alongside other digital disciplines and digital quantity surveyors, or digital project managers are yet to become the norm.

Many felt that governance and bureaucracy are slowing progress in the UK compared to other regions.

However, private sites give the built environment some flexibility to innovate – for example using robots to inspect tunnels or monitor traffic to improve safety. Public bodies like Defra were also making strides by leveraging data sets like Ordnance Survey mapping to inform national priorities – feeding into the UK’s Industrial Strategy.

It was recognised that the partnership of technology and construction can be a difficult marriage - while construction typically works to strict specifications, software development thrives on iteration, testing and sometimes abandoning ideas entirely.

Future Professionals Role in an AI world

So, what does AI mean for future for built environment professionals? The consensus was that people will always have a role to play in the future of design and build. Infrastructure is physical, where AI can optimise planning and reduce the need for certain tasks, the human touch remains essential.

As we finished off the session, one thing was clear, change is already here. We’re not preparing for some future moment when AI will ‘arrive’. We’re living it now, in our data centres, our buildings and even our streets. Whether the industry leans in or not, the shift is happening. The challenge? Making sure it’s not just innovation for innovation’s sake. We need to build trust, deliver outcomes and create places that work better for people. That’s the opportunity that AI gives us, if we’re brave enough to take it.