Artificial intelligence in infrastructure construction: A critical review

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising technological solution for addressing critical infrastructure construction challenges, such as elevated accident rates, suboptimal productivity, and persistent labor shortages. This review aims to thoroughly analyze the contemporary landscape of AI applications in the infrastructure construction sector. We conducted both quantitative and qualitative analyses based on 594 and 91 selected papers, respectively. The results reveal that the primary focus of current AI research in this field centers on safety monitoring and control, as well as process management. Key technologies such as machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing are prominent, with significant attention given to the development of smart construction sites. Our review also highlights several areas for future research, including broadening the scope of AI applications, exploring the potential of diverse AI technologies, and improving AI applications through standardized data sets and generative AI models. These directions are promising for further advancements in infrastructure construction, offering potential solutions to its significant challenges.