Tyler’s struggling with sugar withdrawal. Eddie sometimes doesn’t feel like a real man. Hamzah Shanbari likes his coffee bitter and black.

02:55 - Welcoming Hamzah Shanbari
We’re glad to have Hamzah back. It’s been a good, long while–almost three years since he joined us to discuss marketing vs. reality. He’s still achieving more than us.

Hamzah now works with Haskell, where he is the Director of Innovation. Haskell has charged Hamzah and his team to invest, invent, and innovate. They do this under an LLC named Dysruptek, that seeks to look with a fresh eye at things that have long been done the same way.

Hamzah talks about Haskell’s Big Pitch, the Shark Tank-style event where people within the company present their new ideas. Tyler asks how they vet the ideas. Hamzah talks about Miro digital mapping and a few other steps. He enters these ideas into a database that can be consulted as company needs arise over time. When an opportunity arises, they pull up these ideas and fund pilot programs.

15:12 - Some Specifics
Eddie asks for some specific examples of projects Hamzah’s team has guided through this pilot process. He shares an example of a software package. Project managers upload the specifications of their projects and then the software tracks down and compiles all of the documentation required and ensures that all parties have what they need for their respective scope of responsibility. Then reminders can be programmed that will ensure continued documentation is properly collected and organized and distributed. 

Tyler asks how commonly AI has arisen within these conversations, and we spend some time discussing Sora generative AI. We discuss the changes we’re likely to see in this area within the coming months and years. Eddie wonders if it will discourage our imagination. Hamzah shares about the book The Coming Wave, which recounts the process of training AI to play the game Go.  

25:22 - AI Integration
Hamzah takes us into a conversation about the ways that AI is increasingly integrated into software such as Revit. We ponder the fact that big companies move slowly, meaning the shift towards intuitive operation doesn’t happen quickly.

Hamzah shares some examples of contracts being examined and on some level executed by AI. He also mentions Togel AI conducting safety analysis for jobsites. Eddie shares some thoughts about the reasonable reach of automation. Hamzah’s thought: Verify. Eddie agrees: Check the numbers.

Hamzah refers to the importance of highly qualified inspectors–for example stainless steel welding inspectors. He shares about a machine-learning experience they had with training AI to flag questionable welds. One of the lessons? AI is not that easy. Using it with high-value work requires a lot of time, money, and effort.

Tyler asks Hamzah to share about cool new tools he’s seen. He mentions Skydio drones that are much more extensively automated in its execution of photogrammetry tasks.

40:36 - The Book
Tyler invites Hamzah to share about a big development in his life: He’s writing a book. Hamzah explains that he approached this project as an effort to share the knowledge he’s gained during his many years engaging with innovative ideas in construction.

The book is titled Paperless Builders: The Why, What, and How of Construction Technology, and it’s designed for people working in contexts where they don’t have someone to facilitate innovation. Tyler talks about his interest in this subject matter and the mission of sharing information that will serve as a tide to raise all boats.

Hamzah is working on building a community of people who can provide perspectives that will help shape his book. If you’re interested in learning more about the book, check out this page. 

47:24 - Megaphone Message
Think outside the box. Do some research. There are tons of solutions that will make you more efficient, safer, more accurate.

Find Hamzah on LinkedIn and at Haskell Check out the partners that make our show possible.

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