From cutting-edge modular data centers to AI-powered modular design: An inside look at the impact of artificial intelligence
John Buongiorno, vice president, Modular Division, Axis Construction Board Chairman, MBI
“I’LL ADMIT (and I probably speak for a fair number of those reading this): I haven’t done too much with AI. As a contractor, in my position at Axis Construction, I haven’t needed to. Al doesn’t really impact me or the job that I do. That said, in my position as MBI board president, I think about it—and its potential for commercial modular construction—a lot. How is AI impacting our industry’s use of DfMA? How can manufacturers leverage AI to optimize their operations? How can we as builders help provide for the physical infrastructure AI will require in the years ahead?
“This issue of Modular Advantage covers each of these questions and more.
“Taking a step back, however, it occurs to me that these questions aren’t dissimilar from those asked during the infancy of permanent modular construction. Back then, it was “How can developers best utilize modular building factories to create housing, hospitals, and schools?” and “What impact is modular construction going to have traditional construction?” The technologies have changed, but in the end, it’s all about making a better product. And in our case, building better buildings.
“Without question, we’re building better buildings. Permanent, relocatable, wood, steel, container-based, you name it: Our industry has evolved leaps and bounds in the past decades thanks to collaboration, the sharing of knowledge, and the eagerness of all of us to learn.
“The same will be true of AI. It’s going to take all of us working together, figuring out how to use these incredible new tools efficiently and responsibly so that we as an industry can continue to be what we always have been: leaders who are changing the way the world builds.
“There is no better example of this type of collaboration than what I saw at MBI’s recent World of Modular Europe event in Brussels. It was a smaller conference than the World of Modular events you may have attended previously, but between the sessions, the engagement, and the interest and excitement from both inside and outside our membership…it was just fantastic. I can’t wait to help grow that event, and I can’t wait to see what new ideas are shared at the 2025 World of Modular in April.
“For now, I invite all of us (myself included) to keep innovating. Experiment with AI and other new technologies. Talk with your peers. Share what you’re learning. This is an amazing industry, an amazing association, and we’re in a pivotal time of growth. We have more resources at our disposal than ever before, and I’m counting on you—your talents, your ideas, your determination—to help us continue the momentum we’ve built.”
