Trunk Tools & STO Building Group Spotlight AI at Innovation Expo
In the latest episode of STO Building Group’s Innovation Expo, Trunk Tools founder and CEO Dr. Sarah Buchner sat down with STO’s Chief Innovation Officer Rob Leon to discuss the trillion-dollar issue plaguing the construction industry: fragmented data.
A Journey Born from the Field
Sarah shared her unique entry into construction, explaining, “I started my career… when I was a teenager because my dad was a carpenter.” Her path eventually led her to oversee massive projects, including a $400 million high-rise in Europe, where a tragic incident sparked her mission to change the industry through technology.
Tackling Construction’s Data Crisis
Speaking to the industry’s data challenge, Sarah highlighted, “Construction has a massive data problem because the data is unstructured, it is all PDFs, it is siloed between 10, 20 different software systems, and it is constantly changing.” The urgency of this issue became evident during her Ph.D., funded by a major construction firm overwhelmed by unused data.
Rob Leon echoed the complexity and challenges unique to STO Building Group’s projects, noting: “We are probably one of the most fractured industries when it comes to data. It’s about reshuffling the deck every time you go to a new project.” He emphasized that Trunk Tools has been instrumental in helping the company streamline this ongoing challenge.
AI as Intelligence Augmentation
Sarah also addressed common misconceptions about AI, clarifying Trunk Tools’ practical approach: “We are not doing AI, we are doing IA—Intelligence Augmentation. You are going to be augmented with 50 agents, maybe 500…those agents take over different tasks.” She envisions AI as a collaborative partner in construction.
Watch the full conversation to explore deeper insights on how Trunk Tools is reshaping construction.