How entrepreneurs in Calgary are using artificial intelligence to build homes

While building a new home may seem like a straightforward task, it can be a complex process that requires a deep dive into what potential home buyers are looking for. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help bridge the gap between home builders and customers in more ways than one, according to Trico Homes President and CEO Michael Brown.

"What it [AI] allows us to do is really build the lens on the entire process, so it makes it much more efficient for everybody involved," said Brown in a recent conversation on The Calgary Eyeopener.

Trico Homes has an ongoing partnership with local tech company OpenHouse.ai that focuses on improving the home-building process from start to finish.

"It allows us to improve the interaction that takes place between the buyer and you know, us as a seller," Brown said, adding that his team can make better scheduling decisions thanks to AI.

So, what does that mean?

According to Brown, AI tools make it easier to examine available resources especially when his team is working on hundreds of construction projects at once.

Brown said it's crucial to ensure that the right vendors are at the construction site at the right time to ensure maximum efficiency and improve productivity. 

"We need to build a forecast in terms of when they need to be at that [site]," Brown said. "So AI does this incredible piece of work that really allows us to, as they say, get that lens so we can get the people at the right time."

Brown added that improved efficiency and better workflow make it possible to complete projects faster which is a huge plus for potential home buyers. 

LISTEN | Michael Brown talks about using AI in the construction space:

AI can also make it less stressful for a customer to go through the home-buying process. For example, a potential buyer won't have to go through the same steps multiple times before making a purchase. 

"If you're going online and you're looking to buy a house from Trico, you'll look at it and you know, you look at all the information," Brown said.

"But when you go into the sales centre, you almost have to recreate that entire experience in terms of when you first start looking at the home."

He hopes to simplify the process by asking sure his sales staff already has access to the relevant information provided by AI tools.

"We have all…[the necessary] information and what AI is able to do is take it and interpret it," Brown said.

Will Zhang, the CEO of OpenHouse.ai., believes that his company's partnership with Trico Homes can make a tangible impact.

"We take what we know in the technology space and apply [our skills] to solve a very fundamental problem [which] is the issue of shelter," he said.

Zhang believes in adopting a customer-centric approach and reckons that it's crucial to focus on crafting "highly curated" experiences for customers.

Zhang gave an example — instead of sending the same pictures of new homes to potential buyers, it makes sense to present "the most relevant solution" to every home buyer so they can look at curated options that cater to their specific needs.

The entrepreneur doesn't underestimate the importance of analyzing market trends — his team has been working on crafting predictive models that help provide useful insights into what buyers will be looking for in the future.

This will likely help builders analyze market trends and meet customers' expectations. 

Brown echoed this sentiment and said that AI tools make it easier to plan for the future, a benefit that's impossible to overlook.

"You see what's right in front of you, but you need to have the ability to see…what it means in the future," Brown said. "And it [AI] gives you that lens into the future," he said.

'It's not going to replace people'

Using AI tools, according to Brown, has two major benefits attached — saving operational costs and speeding up the construction process. Better scheduling can also help avoid unnecessary hiccups. 

As for whether AI can replace jobs in the construction space, Brown believes that qualified professionals have nothing to worry about.

"When it comes to sales, yes you can go online and you can buy things, but customers don't want that, they want that personal interaction," he said. 

"AI, to me, is really a way of augmenting that. So you know in our world it's not going to replace people, it's just going to make them that much stronger."