Last year, an advert went viral. Draped over a partially constructed building in central Antwerp was a huge banner which read, “Hey ChatGPT, finish this building...” The stunt was promoting the firm Impact, which sources skilled workers for construction roles in Belgium.
With photos of the message reshared countless times, LinkedIn and Instagram lit up with a lively debate about whether robots really are poised to take our jobs, and the value of timeless skills such as manual trades.
The banner gave a cheeky finger to the breathless admiration some have for everything Artificial Intelligence (AI), and poked fun at those who sincerely believe that robots will shortly replace humans in workplaces across the world.
While we admit we loved Impact’s banner stunt here at Rhino HQ, we’d be lying if we said that AI hasn’t already begun reshaping certain sectors. Rather than the fearmongering “robots are taking our jobs” angle, it’s more helpful to recognise that AI has been able to both create new roles and render others of a lower value.
AI isn’t a brand-new phenomenon. If you’ve ever said, “Hey Siri”/ Alexa”, battled your way through a voice-recognising phone system or used Facebook or Instagram, then you’re dealing with AI. It can certainly make our lives easier, but it’s true that some types of jobs have been disproportionately affected by AI. These include data entry, coding, market research, some elements of bookkeeping and various customer service roles.
While AI has shown capabilities way beyond what we may have thought possible even a decade ago, the vast majority of sectors are not in a position to outsource things fully. It seems that in most professions, a human still needs to be involved, whether it’s for developing strategy, maintenance and programming or simply adding that ‘human touch’.
The upshot of this is – yes, AI has replaced some workplace functions. Many people have had to diversify their skills to stay ahead of the curve, and it has become clear that embracing AI rather than fighting it is the way forward.
But now the million-pound question – how, if at all, is AI affecting the trades industries?
AI’s ability to automatically generate entire new human faces that look as realistic as our own, write a story from scratch and have a mobile phone update its own software while you sleep is nothing short of amazing.
It’s when AI strays into the physical realm that things start to go wrong. Think of a robot vacuum cleaner. It can have the most sophisticated machine learning functions, including detecting carpet pile length and app-controlled scheduling, but if your dog decides to flip it over and hump it, then it’s just a piece of plastic whirring uselessly against the air. AI might equip these machines with the ability to predict and overcome various obstacles, but when life throws a curveball, AI can struggle.
Trade work is largely manual, requiring a huge amount of physical input. But there’s far more to it than that. Trades jobs come with specific demands, including physical dexterity, hand/eye coordination, precision, and the ability to handle complex, unpredictable situations. You know how varied your duties can be, and how often you rely on your wits and adaptability to get the job done. AI simply cannot meet these demands currently.
Ok, so hopefully by now you’re reassured that AI isn’t going to render your trades job obsolete. But since AI is here to stay, how can your harness its powers to make your life easier as a tradesperson?
It turns out that AI can be a highly efficient helper when it comes to tradesperson finances. Invoicing customers, tracking daily expenditure and generating financial reports can all be done in an instant with the new generation of job management software designed especially for tradespeople. We doubt that invoicing is your favourite part of your role anyway, so you might be happy to hand this element over to a highly efficient robot.
Answering customer enquiries, scheduling jobs and seeking post-job feedback are all time-consuming tasks that no tradesperson wants to spin out. AI-powered chatbots can be your secret weapon. These smart virtual assistants can field customer inquiries, schedule site visits, and provide basic troubleshooting, freeing up your time to concentrate on delivering practical work.
AI-powered job management software can automatically generate reports, including job summaries, job spend and breakdowns of cost-efficiency, not to mention financial analysis that lifts the lid on your business’s financial position and helps you plan for the future. If business analysis isn’t your forte then you can outsource number-crunching to AI and simply view the reports at your leisure.
Automatic ordering processes guided by AI systems can track tool and material usage, predict future needs, and automate ordering processes, ensuring that tradespeople have the necessary resources on hand when needed, without overstocking. Plus, you’ll have a handy record of expenditure all in one place when it comes to proving your tax deductible purchases.
If you’ve got dozens of jobs crammed into one week, it might make your head spin when it comes to scheduling them all. Are you wasting time driving sub-optimal routes and forgetting about important stops along the way, e.g., refuelling the van or picking up supplies? AI can step in and simplify this for you. Using job management software, you can enter your job locations and key tasks for the week and it will do the rest – taking into account traffic conditions and even being responsive to last-minute changes such as road closures.
These are just a few of the exciting functions of AI in trades industry roles. As time goes on and the capabilities of AI as an assistive tool become more refined, there will be even more ways to streamline your working week and boost your overall business’s effectiveness.
At Rhino, we see the future of AI in the trades as collaborative. Rather than taking any tradespeople’s jobs (I think we all knew that was never going to be possible!), we can clearly see how AI will make life easier for skilled tradespeople. The future of trades jobs is secure – relax. Your skills will always be in demand.
Another thing you cannot outsource to AI is your business’s insurance protection. You need real-life policies in place to protect you from the risks you face at work, which can seriously threaten your financial stability and business reputation. To get started, why not head to our nifty AI-powered quick quote generator, or if you’re not quite ready for that, give us a call on 0116 243 7904.
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