AI and Innovation in construction Industry by Wilo Tijhuis conference in Hong Kong, december 2025

Dear reader,

 Wilco has been invited recently to provide a keynote-speech, together with seven other international experts, on an international conference about AI and Innovation in construction industry, to be held at HKU in Hong Kong early next week.

Humanization in an AI-Driven Construction Industry: Hora Est…?

Abstract

In nowadays construction industry the developments towards an Artificial-Intelligence (AI)-driven business-model are strongly supported by the several technological innovations in hardware and software. Think e.g. about intelligent building information modelling (e.g. BIM with more than 4- or 5-D-models), data-integrated technologies to support energy-savings of the built environment, security and safety in buildings and on construction-sites, robotized (pre)fabrication factories for complete housing projects, etc. All these developments are increasingly signalling that the construction industry of the future is not lead by construction professionals and their businesses, but far more by IT(application)-professionals and their businesses, e.g. originating from several kind of ‘silicon-valley’ regions of the world. Challenging times and with a lot of new opportunities, for sure! However, where is the human being in all these developments? Do we really know our workers at the site and in the factories?Are they still professionally skilled, or simply equipped to become a kind of ‘extension of robotic arms’, i.e.: How to deal with so called ‘last mile logistics’ in these? And, not in the least, what about the client? Does construction industry really deliver ‘more value for money’, now technology obviously makes it quite easily possible, but also causing a huge demand of complex IT-investments? All serious considerations, where we therefore need to put the question forward: Is there still a serious position in this AI-Driven Construction Industry for a kind of ‘humanization’, or has the time for this meanwhile passed? Just like the famous old classic Roman saying: Hora Est…?

1. Please find -for those interested- the flyer, at https://dchk.hku.hk/en/keynote.

This aligns with his interest and research in organizational cultures and construction processes and procurement; plus also aligns with his industry-activities, in which he's often involved internationally in (re)structuring and developing of companies/projects, including the integration/development of specific technologies and innovative approaches.

His best wishes from Hong Kong 😊

Dr.ir.ing. Wilco Tijhuis (Ph.D.,M.Sc.,B.Sc.) | Assistant Professor (parttime) | 
University of Twente (UT) | Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET) | Department of Construction Engineering & Management (CEM) |
Campus building Horst | Room Z224| w.tijhuis@utwente.nl / www.utwente.nl |