Trust in Construction AI-Powered Collaborative Robots: A Qualitative Empirical Analysis

Construction technology researchers and forward-thinking companies are experimenting with collaborative robots (aka cobots), powered by artificial intelligence (AI), to explore various automation scenarios as part of the digital transformation of the industry. Intelligent cobots are expected to be the dominant type of robots in the future of work in construction. However, the black-box nature of AI-powered cobots and unknown technical and psychological aspects of introducing them to job sites are precursors to trust challenges. By analyzing the results of semi-structured interviews with construction practitioners using grounded theory, this paper investigates the characteristics of trustworthy AI-powered cobots in construction. The study found that while the key trust factors identified in a systematic literature review-conducted previously by the authors-resonated with the field experts and end users, other factors such as financial considerations and the uncertainty associated with change were also significant barriers against trusting AI-powered cobots in construction.