Beyond cement and concrete, AI is changing how we study other materials. It’s being used to design self-healing asphalt roads, detect defects in steel and assess the quality of road aggregates using ultrasound. Researchers are also using it to link data across materials – from quarry to rebar – to simulate how infrastructure ages, performs, and can be maintained more efficiently over time.
These trends aren’t confined to academia. Across the Connecticut construction industry, whose value chain spans everything from aggregates to highways, the same trends are emerging. Producers and contractors alike are looking at ways AI can improve plant efficiency, project scheduling and long-term asset maintenance.