FEATURE _ CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS
Artificial expectations
Clients are increasingly using AI tools in their dealings with builders – but does technology always smooth the process? Well, it depends
W hen David client carrying a “very detailed four-page appendix for a tender”, he was impressed by the effort involved. “I asked whether it had been written by their architect or engineer,” says Gutierrez, Director of Nest Building Group Ltd and FMB London President. Gutierrez met with a prospective “Halfway through the meeting, the client admitted they’d put a few prompts into ChatGPT and it had generated the entire document. “It made me laugh, but it also concerned me. I asked, ‘Do you actually understand what you’ve requested?” There was a lot of terminology in there.” It turned out that the client didn’t understand everything in the appendix – and later apologised for it. Peter Atkins, Director of A S Homes in Bovingdon, has his own version of a similar story. “A client showed me a design for stairs that appeared to be hanging without support.” The design wasn’t impossible to recreate, Atkins explains. “The challenge lay in the complexity and budget. People often don’t understand the costs involved, especially as prices have risen significantly in recent years. Managing that gap
They have a clearer idea of what they want for their property. But things have become much more visual for people rather than practical between expectations and reality is now a much bigger part of my role.” Here’s another example: a client challenged advice from Gutierrez’s heating engineer based on something they’d asked ChatGPT. The client went with the ChatGPT suggestion, but it didn’t work out. “They had to pay my engineer to implement what he’d recommended in the first place – buying and installing an additional accumulator unit for water pressure,” Gutierrez explains.
“Clients need to be super careful,” Gutierrez adds. “AI is great. But if you’ve brought in an expert to deliver your project, as a consumer you should always favour the expert’s advice over AI.” Both Gutierrez and Atkins have more stories of clients using AI, including: One using Nano Banana to create visuals of finishes for their project such as different tiles and window colours. Another used AI to map out their garden design. “Clients seem more well-informed and engaged than they used to be,” Atkins argues. “They have a clearer idea of what they want for their property. But things have become much more visual for people rather than practical.” Gutierrez agrees: “We’ve seen a massive rise in the use of AI. And don’t get me wrong, these systems are fantastic. But we have to be careful. If we say, ‘Yes, that’s achievable,’ we have to make sure it really is achievable. It’s
34 Master Builder
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