Overview
We all know AI is advancing at an exponential rate. With each passing year, the capabilities of AI are becoming more sophisticated, making it an essential tool for modern enterprises. But what makes AI so powerful and how can it be utilized effectively? The answer lies in *data*. The utility of AI is heavily dependent on the quality and quantity of data it processes.
So, if you’re running an enterprise drone program, it’s critical to understand how AI can be applied to drone data. By leveraging AI, organizations can extract actionable insights, automate analysis, and streamline decision-making processes—making every drone program more efficient and valuable. In this article, we’ll delve into the types of AI and how they can transform your drone program.
Types of AI
Before we explore how AI can be integrated into your drone program, it's important to understand the different types of AI available today:
1. Deep Learning-Based AI / Convolutional Neural Networks
Deep learning-based AI, including Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), has traditionally excelled at recognizing patterns in datasets. When applied to drone data, this form of AI can detect and classify objects of interest within images or across multiple images. Typical applications include:
Detecting cracks on a building’s facade
Identifying people not wearing PPE Equipment on a construction site
Counting the number of objects on site
These are just examples, the key point is that AI can be detect custom objects of interest!
By processing vast amounts of visual data, deep learning AI can automate the detection of anomalies, reduce the risk of human error, and ensure compliance with safety standards.
2. Large Language Models (LLMs)
Large Language Models (LLMs) have gained immense popularity over the past 18 months. Built on GPT (General Purpose Transformer) technology, these models can solve various abstract tasks, making them ideal for handling drone data. With LLMs, users can ask a more open set of questions, such as:
“How has my site or asset changed over time?”
“What projects have the most issues and risk?”
“Can you create a report of all the findings?”
LLMs offer unprecedented flexibility and context-awareness, allowing you to derive complex insights and generate summaries from large datasets. For drone programs, this means greater understanding and control over assets and project sites.
AI Allows You to Act on Drone Data
Collecting data with drones, whether it’s visual, thermal, or LiDAR, adds a new cost line to any business. But simply having this data isn’t enough. The real value lies in how you act on it.
By using AI to analyze *drone data*, enterprises can extract insights faster and transform raw data into actionable intelligence. This capability leads to greater leverage from drone programs, turning data into a value driver rather than a cost burden. Coupling AI with drone data can lead to increased efficiency, better asset management, and more informed decision-making across the business.
AI Compounds Over Time
One critical aspect to consider when integrating AI into your drone program is that AI improves over time. It’s not perfect on day one, but its performance compounds with each iteration.
In year one, AI’s impact may be limited, but as it learns and adapts, it can cut down manual labor by 50% or more by year two or three. This compounding effect can lead to substantial cost savings and increased operational efficiency.
The right approach is to balance AI implementation in the early stages with human input and ensure that human feedback is used to train and refine the AI over time.
Companies that build highly-trained AI systems will hold a significant competitive advantage over those that rely solely on manual processes.
AI Acts as a Supplementary Layer
Drones are already being used extensively in highly regulated industries such as Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC), energy, and mining. Instead of viewing AI as a replacement for human expertise, it’s more productive to see it as a background technology that enhances operations.
AI provides a supplementary layer of verification, enabling a second set of ‘eyes’ on all work conducted. With drones capturing thousands of images on-site, it’s challenging for humans to spot every minor detail. AI can help bridge this gap, ensuring that nothing is overlooked.
Construction and Energy Industries Are Seeing a Labor Shortfall
The construction and energy sectors are facing a significant labor shortfall. While demand for construction and sustainable energy is at an all-time high, the number of skilled professionals continues to decline. AI offers a solution by allowing existing personnel to multiply their productivity and enabling new entrants to get up to speed quickly.
With AI, fewer workers can manage more assets and sites, ensuring that projects stay on track despite workforce limitations.
Spector AI and Hamlet AI Case Studies by Hammer Missions
At Hammer Missions, we’re witnessing organizations apply AI to their *drone programs* in various creative ways. Whether it’s identifying issues that could compromise the structural integrity of an asset, performing repeat inspections that require change analysis, or monitoring the construction or demolition of a site, AI is silently enabling a wide range of use cases.
For example, Spector AI is being used to detect cracks, misalignments, and other structural concerns, providing real-time insights to engineers on-site. Similarly, Hamlet AI is being built to compare historical data with current images, helping project managers understand how a site or asset has evolved over time.
By leveraging AI in these ways, Hammer Missions is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with drone data, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for the intersection of drones and AI.
Summary
Integrating AI into your enterprise drone program isn’t just about keeping up with technology trends—it’s about gaining a strategic advantage. As AI continues to evolve and its capabilities expand, businesses that harness its potential will be better positioned to capitalize on their drone data, improve operational efficiency, and drive value for years to come. If you’re interested in exploring how AI can elevate your drone program, reach out to Hammer Missions and see how we can help transform your operations.