S2E4 - Building differently: AI facing the challenges of construction

Did you know that two competing electricity companies agreed to collaborate on developing an AI tool, simply because they realized that counting electrical outlets on a blueprint offers no competitive advantage? In this episode recorded live at the All In 2025 event, William Gélina Sylvestre and Thierry-Eliot Villeneuve from the Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ), accompanied by Hugues from Explorer, reveal the fascinating paradoxes of the Quebec construction industry. Discover how the shortage of roof trusses during COVID prompted Thierry to design and manufacture 45-foot trusses himself with an engineer, how a young estimator hired to test the " Estim.ai " tool now works faster than all his colleagues, and why adopting AI has become a recruitment strategy to attract Generation Z. The episode exposes an uncomfortable truth: innovation in construction does not stem from a desire to shine, but from the need to survive in the face of foreign competitors equipped with AI.