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The Future of Building in SA — AI is Coming for the Job Site

August 25, 2025

🏗️ a US startup just raised $40 million for what it calls “ChatGPT for construction sites”.
And while it’s currently being used on mega-projects in New York and Toronto, the tech’s potential to shake up South African construction is massive.

🦾 What They’ve Built

Trunk Tools takes the chaos of site data — drawings, schedules, specs, notes — and turns it into something you can search and question in plain language.

Example:

Worker: “Does this door require electricity?”
AI: “Yes — per drawing A210, door 3.2 includes electronic access control. See electrical plan E102.”

Key points:

  • Custom-trained AI on real construction drawings and specs, not generic internet data.

  • Can handle entire workflows like scheduling, tracking, and snagging.

  • Charges per subscription or even per business outcome.

  • Backed by big investors, already on major US contractor sites.

📍 Why This Matters for South Africa

We face the same headaches — just with smaller budgets:

  • Plans, specs, and instructions are scattered.

  • WhatsApp becomes the de facto project management tool.

  • Simple RFIs take days.

  • Costly rework happens because details get lost.

An AI like this could:

  1. Cut rework costs by answering questions instantly.

  2. Speed up client handovers with neatly organised project data.

  3. Reduce the bottleneck on site managers.

  4. Improve subcontractor coordination without adding admin layers.

⚠️ The Catch

  • SA data is messy — inconsistent standards make AI training tricky.

  • The people problem is real — adoption needs buy-in from foremen to directors.

  • Pricing has to work for small-to-medium contractors, not just billion-rand firms.

💡 The ResiLogic Take

If AI can already read blueprints better than a junior QS in the US, nothing stops us building a “SA Construction GPT” trained on our specs, our drawings, and our contract clauses.

The smart play?

  • Start small — one workflow like snagging or RFIs.

  • Train on real local data from residential projects.

  • Prove ROI quickly, then scale.

📢 Thought Starter

What’s the one pain point you’d want AI to fix first on a South African site?

Companies like OnSite and Procore are already showing promise with applications solving these problems, how could they be adopted by more players in the market?

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