Can AI Be the Brain of Your Construction Project? | Dr. Sarah Buchner, CEO & Founder at Trunk Tools

EPISODE 420: How do general contractors (GCs) spend most of their time?

A recent study conducted on job sites reveals that GCs spend only 8% of their time in the field. The rest is consumed by tasks such as documenting discrepancies (16%), searching for the right information (15%), and meeting preparation (13%).

Why are we wasting so much of these skilled professional’s time doing paperwork?

Enter Trunk Tools–a platform designed to optimize workflows, enhance collaboration, and achieve a high level of efficiency.

In this week’s episode of The ConTech Crew, my co-host, Rob McKinney, and I are thrilled to speak with the incredible Dr. Sarah Buchner, CEO and founder of Trunk Tools.

Sarah’s journey is truly inspiring, from her beginnings as a young carpenter in Austria to becoming a leading figure in construction technology.

With a PhD in AI from Stanford and over a decade of experience in AI, she brings deep expertise in AI and data management, demonstrating how AI (or, as she calls it, IA–Intelligence Augmentation) can transform the construction industry by structuring unstructured data.

Curious how AI can simplify your next project?

Tune in now!

Key Takeaways: 

Introduction (00:00)

From carpentry to construction tech (01:32)

The real role of education (05:52)

PhD in AI and its impact (10:19)

The mindset shift needed in construction (14:36)

AI’s role in structuring data (18:52)

Biggest problems facing contractors (20:19)

Reducing rework with AI (22:35)

Trusting technology in construction (24:23)

Creating data visuals (34:27)

What the future looks like for Trunk Tools (39:22)

Construction technology news of the week (43:19)

Additional Resources:

Listen to the show at: https://thecontechcrew.com 

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecontechcrew 

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Follow Dr. Sarah Buchner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-buchner/

Visit Trunk Tools for more information: https://trunktools.com/

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See this week’s news articles! 🗞️⬇️

➡️ Technologies That Rapidly Transform Construction Will Change Jobsites

https://www.enr.com/articles/58192-technologies-that-rapidly-transform-construction-will-change-jobsites

➡️ Technology That Can Prevent Worker Injuries: NSC

https://www.ehstoday.com/safety-technology/article/55094140/technology-that-can-prevent-worker-injuries-nsc

➡️ Meet the AI-powered robots that Big Tech thinks can solve a global labor shortage

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/08/why-amazon-tesla-and-microsoft-are-investing-in-ai-powered-robots.html

➡️Contech backer launches second, $100M fund

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/ironspring-ventures-contech-fund-investment/720583/

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The ConTech Crew is a construction news podcast dedicated to keeping you up to date with all the latest in construction technology. 

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