Toward Adopting Artificial Intelligence to Improve the Construction Industry in Saudi Arabia

The construction industry in Saudi Arabia (SA), a cornerstone of the nation's economic growth and development, is undergoing a significant transformation. Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) with the construction industry offers an encouraging possibility of enhancing efficiency, safety, and sustainability. This research utilizes a focus group method to explore the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform the construction industry in Saudi Arabia, aligning with the goals of Industry 4.0 and automation. The current research also investigates the opportunities and benefits of adopting AI, addresses challenges and barriers, and provides an AI-powered roadmap for successfully adopting AI in construction in Saudi Arabia. The study revealed that the primary challenges in AI adoption were high implementation costs, lack of experience, and data privacy concerns. The study also revealed the roadmap and recommendations for adopting AI in the construction industry, such as education, training, and government support. The contribution of the present study is to assist decision-makers and construction practitioners in understanding the challenge of adopting AI to improve key project performance, such as productivity, safety, and quality.