Artificial Intelligence – AI – is certainly becoming more prevalent in our lives today. If we can believe the recent warnings from within the industry itself, AI is becoming so prevalent and powerful that it could be the death of us all within a few years. Let's hope not.
I’m not here to expound on the doom and gloom nature of AI. But having had a 29-year career in Information Technology (IT) prior to my now 23 years in the Archadeck Outdoor Living world, I think I have a good perspective on technology’s role in society - both its benefits and constraints. Certainly, technology permeates a lot of our Archadeck business, as it does any business. I believe my technology background has allowed me to understand and capitalize on the efficiencies of integrating technology into my business.
But technology changes fast and Artificial Intelligence seemed to be bringing a whole new dimension to technology. Or was it? Being a bit of an old school / traditional cynic, I wondered how much of it was hype or just rebranding. I also wondered if technology was passing me by. Should I embrace the new technology? Or should I be leery of it?
A Cautiously-Evolving Approach to AI
In an effort to help reset my frame of mind around Artificial Intelligence, 18 months ago, I took a 12-week, online class Des Moines Area Community College offers called “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence.” It was an interesting and eye-opening experience…. as any educational endeavor should be. I don’t know if I became any more or less comfortable with the technology of Artificial Intelligence; maybe just more aware. Aware enough to be a little more comfortable with it. Aware enough to be a little more leery of it. Both things can be true. But one thing I did learn is that data is the key to Artificial Intelligence…and lots of it. More importantly, the ownership and quality of the data is key to the viability of AI. Armed with those new perspectives, I’m gradually, cautiously and continuously formulating - evolving - how best to integrate AI into my local Archadeck business. “Cautiously evolving” is a good way of phrasing our approach to AI here in the Archadeck of Central Iowa business.
What is Driving our AI Evolution…and Caution?
To be honest, its you - the Central Iowa market with less-than-ideal outdoor living spaces - thats driving this evolution more than anything. More and more of you are “speaking” with an AI agent before speaking with us. Some of you are going so far as to bring to us your needs and ideas for outdoor living enhancements in the form of AI-generated images.
We are not offended nor do we feel threatened by this. Our first response tends to be “Thank you! We’ll take all the help we can get.” We certainly understand the visual nature of what we do. The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is one reason that we invested in CAD software and other digital technology over 25 years ago years ago to provide to-scale plans and 3D renderings of our project designs. Another reason is that it helps you, the customer, make an informed and reliable decision regarding what your project will ultimately look like on your home.
The AI-generated images we’ve been presented with are attempting to address that latter issue as well. And it’s a good start. But what we have seen to-date are scale issues, among other issues. The to-scale nature of our plans allows us to engineer our structures properly and actually build from those structural plans. We achieve that to-scale reality by personal site assessments made during our design consultation; there we meticulously measure and photograph the area where your project will be constructed on your home.
What is “Archadeck Intelligence?"
That data is what feeds what I am “branding” as “Archadeck Intelligence,” a new flavor of AI. I think that succinctly summarizes what Archadeck brings to the development of outdoor living spaces and features. Archadeck Intelligence is what is needed to design and build a deck, porch and/or patio project that actually works for you, your lifestyle at home and for your home. We’ve done that securely and reliably for nearly 30 years in the Central Iowa market and over 45 years nationally. Other aspects of Archadeck Intelligence include:
- Real-world knowledge of the actual materials and products to best use in your project.
- Real-world experience in calculating how much of those materials and products will be needed for your project. This allows us to accurately fix-price project contracts and avoid the surprises that come with many estimate-driven providers.
- Real-world experience in finding, allocating and managing the appropriate skill sets and resources to apply to the construction of your project.
- Understanding that our clients demand long-term quality and security in their projects, we offer warranty and guarantees unmatched in the industry.
- Personal interaction through the experienced, local Archadeck team throughout our process, from the initial consultation through design, through construction and into post-completion reviews.
Archadeck Intelligence versus Artificial Intelligence. it’s not necessarily a choice - you can have and use both to our mutual advantages. We welcome that. But we would caution using the latter without the former. After all, the latter could kill us all in a few years if not used and controlled properly. Certain known risks aside, maybe - hopefully - that’s an exaggeration. But the point is:
Better Building by Design with Archadeck Intelligence
