The Hidden AI Revolution in Construction | Rajitha Chaparala (Procore)
From streamlining RFIs to unlocking insights from structured data, Rajitha Chaparala, VP of Product, shares how Procore is bringing AI to one of the world's most hands-on industries: construction.
Two years ago, AI ranked ninth on Procore’s customer advisory board priorities. Just months later, it shot to the top of the list. Exposure to ChatGPT and LLMs in everyday life helped construction leaders recognize what AI could do at work.
In this episode of LaunchPod AI, Rajitha Chaparala, VP of Product at Procore Technologies, shares how AI is transforming one of the most hands-on industries in the world: construction.
1. Streamlining complexity with AI
Construction projects can involve thousands of collaborators and endless revisions. Rajitha explains that AI’s biggest opportunity lies in improving information flow — ensuring everyone gets the right revision at the right time:
“Think of a building — either an office building or an airport or a bridge. There’s usually thousands and thousands of people working on the same project. The first focus is really dissemination of information. How can you make that faster, make sure everyone got the right revision, and looked at what changed from the last version?”
What you can do: Start by identifying where manual information sharing causes delays. Use AI tools to track version changes and automate document distribution.
2. Automating the RFI process (02:00)
Requests for Information (RFIs) (a crucial pre-construction step) can take weeks of back-and-forth between contractors, trades, and architects.
AI can easily parse and interpret intent, flag ambiguities, and even help create clearer questions and answers.
What you can do: Explore LLM-based assistants that can summarize and clarify specification documents or generate RFI drafts automatically.
3. From drawings to data: AI-powered takeoffs (03:30)
Procore’s first AI product, automated area takeoff, uses computer vision to scan drawings, extract measurements, and calculate materials like concrete or drywall. Combined with LLMs, these capabilities unlock huge efficiency gains.
What you can do: If your industry relies on visual plans or blueprints, experiment with computer vision models to extract actionable data directly from them.
4. Unlocking construction’s unstructured data (04:00)
Rajitha calls this “construction’s time for AI.”
The industry generates vast multimodal data, from drone footage to site photos to contracts. With LLMs, teams can query across all of it without relying on folder structures or human recall.
What you can do: Use AI search or retrieval-augmented tools to unify unstructured content like documents, photos, and video. Let users “ask” your system for insights rather than dig through endless files.
5. Building trust and adoption in AI (06:00)
For many in construction, trust is everything. Rajitha compares successful adoption to using Google Maps; the tech works so seamlessly, you don’t need to understand it. Once teams see AI handle tedious tasks reliably, their trust compounds.
“They say, ‘oh, the trades won’t use AI.’ And I say, they use smartphones. Smartphones are filled with AI.”
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:48: The complexity of construction and technology adoption
02:00: AI streamlining Requests for Information (RFIs) in construction
04:00: Why LLMs are ideal for construction’s unstructured data
06:00: Building trust for AI adoption
ICYMI
Links
What does LogRocket do?
LogRocket’s Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com.