AI, Artificial Intelligence, is the simulation of human intelligence using machines.   It often covers areas such as decision-making, problem-solving and language processing.   

AI has been around for decades.  It’s how Netflix or Amazon recommend products/movies to you; it’s what powers Siri and Alexa; facial recognition on your phone and, of course, the latest phase GenAI (Generative AI).  Many types of AI, particularly GenAI is probabilistic, not deterministic – it gives you the answer that is most likely correct based on the information that it has been given.  If the training information says that 2+2 =5, it will not know that it is wrong. 

Articifical Intelligence in facilities management

The application of AI in facilities management (FM) and asset maintenance is significant: AI can predict maintenance schedules, optimise truck rolls (where a technician drives to a customer’s location to install or repair equipment), and reduce workers’ exposure to high-risk safety areas, such as heights and enclosed spaces. At Ventia, we are using GenAI to do all of this as well as streamline how employees can access information about Ventia, to analyse images and extract data and convert large contracts to a more accessible form. 

GenAI is a great example of how organisational innovation has created business improvement and demonstrates excellent collaboration across our business.

Examples of AI within asset management

Some examples of how AI will impact our workforce at Ventia include (but is not limited to):

• The role of the Service Delivery Lead – this is a key role on many of our contracts at Ventia – forming a close relationship with the facility manager and being their close point of contact.  We can use AI to optimise their route and facility allocation and how often they visit each facility but their customer liaison role will remain an essential part of the Ventia landscape
• Our trades – we can use AI to optimise our reactive and predictive maintenance, use GenAI to make standards more accessible and use image analysis to reduce time in high-risk situations.  Ultimately this allows us to use our trades more efficiently, increase our sustainability, keep our people safe and to provide better service to our clients in a market with trade shortages.
• Our corporate office uses GenAI to automate repetitive manual tasks, to allow our employees to be creative and focus on the areas of our business that add value to our people and our clients.  We look at how to access policies and standards more efficiently, to process the hundreds of thousands of invoices more effectively and to onboard our contractors in a compliant, safe and efficient manner.  

Experimenting and operationalising

To increase efficiency and efficacy, it is recommended that organisations should first determine a use cases for AI application, starting with a pilot to experiment prior to operationalisation at scale. A framework for both pilots and implementation is essential in ensuring that the approach and methodologies used are robust.

Ventia continues to remain focussed on delivering service excellence to our clients, sustainability and our people.  We continue to innovate across the business, exploring prototypes, using a phased approach to leverage the latest technologies to support our staff in their drive to provide excellent service to our clients. Technology continues to evolve, advances on GenAI and other tools will continue.  As more of our work is automated, our workers will have more time to allocate to creative thinking while providing benefits to our clients and improving our sustainability across the organisation.

Once businesses start to explore and apply AI, it should ultimately unleash better outcomes not only for their people, but also for their clients and the environment overall.

The original version of this article was published in Facility Perspectives Vol 18 No 2 titled "The era of AI"