As the University of Florida continues to celebrate AI Days, students in the M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management on Tuesday had the chance to hear about a new AI-powered software that is helping make construction more productive and affordable.
On Tuesday morning, Patrick Murphy, founder and CEO of Togal.AI, gave a presentation to a group of roughly 40 students in a comprehensive estimating class at Rinker, where he shared how the idea for the software came about, its implementation in construction and the future of AI in construction.
After working in his family business, Coastal Construction, and serving a four-year stint as a U.S. congressman, Murphy founded Togal in 2019 with a mission to bring forth new technology and AI to help find a solution to America’s housing crisis.
According to information shared with Mainstreet, Togal is “an artificial intelligence software that automatically measures every space in construction blueprints, from walls to windows and floors — in seconds.”
“Togal automates the takeoff process in construction,” Murphy said in an interview with Mainstreet. “So, what used to take a human days or weeks to do, we are now doing in seconds with greater accuracy.”
Murphy said Togal reads building plans and instantly gives a person the output of everything that is included, allowing him or her to focus more on the higher-value tasks in estimating costs.
Additionally, companies or construction workers can also “talk” to construction plans using Togal.CHAT, which, according to a UF press release, is an “interface similar to ChatGPT but tailored for construction applications.”
Data shows that Togal has helped companies be more efficient while also saving money.
Prior to the software, Coastal Construction’s estimating team of eight people spent more than 20 hours a week manually doing takeoffs, which involves listing and measuring the materials needed for a project.
After implementing Togal, the company’s takeoff time decreased from 50% to 10%. This translates to 13,920 hours saved per year and nearly a $1 million cost saving during the first year.
A key focal point for Togal, Murphy said, is the new workforce, referring to college students.
According to statistics from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), cited in a SPARK report, an estimated 41% of the current construction workforce, including several in management roles, will retire by 2031.
Murphy has made the software available for free for all college students across the nation with a valid .edu email address.
“At the end of the day, that’s who’s going to improve the industry and probably help us come up with new ideas,” he said.
Murphy said Togal is in a “couple dozen” universities throughout the country, including UF.
Dr. Rui Liu, an associate professor at UF’s Rinker School of Construction Management, said Togal has been a sponsor for the school for the last few years.
“Rinker, as one of the best construction programs, we are trying to not only teach the student the construction means and methods, but also how to integrate the most cutting-edge technologies into construction. So, Togal.AI is one of the software and AI tools we use to form our program.”
Liu said she feels it’s vital for the students to not only learn from the textbook but also understand what technologies they’re going to be exposed to in the future.
“I think we are trying to train our students to be the future leaders in the industry,” she said. “So, it’s important they’re already exposed to those most advanced technologies [so] that they can help the industry…go…at a more advanced speed.”
Murphy said he is confident that those who accept AI and are skilled in it “will do better in the workforce” and ultimately make more money.
He added, “Don’t look at AI as a threat. It’s an opportunity. It’s a power tool.”
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.