Concrete, the backbone of modern infrastructure, is also a significant contributor to climate change, accounting for 8–10% of global CO2 emissions. Mathieu Bauchy, co-founder of Concrete.AI and a researcher with over a decade of expertise, is determined to tackle this challenge with artificial intelligence. His company aims to transform the construction industry by leveraging generative AI models to reduce both the environmental and economic costs of concrete production.
“Modern society is built around concrete,” Bauchy explained, “but the concrete industry is under immense pressure due to rising material costs and its massive carbon footprint.” According to Bauchy, these challenges make it critical to rethink how concrete is produced. “Concrete is the most used material on the planet, yet it’s one we understand the least,” he noted, describing it as a “living material” that evolves over time, making it exceptionally difficult to model.
Concrete.AI addresses these complexities by combining physics, chemistry, and data analysis. “We develop generative AI models to help producers create new formulations with lower costs and a reduced carbon footprint, while maintaining the same performance,” Bauchy stated. This not only enhances profitability but could also prevent 500 million tons of CO2 emissions annually — equivalent to eliminating the emissions of France and Argentina combined.
Despite AI’s potential, Bauchy stressed the importance of caution. “AI can be extremely wrong and confident about it, which is unacceptable in construction where lives can be at stake,” he said. To address this, Concrete.AI integrates uncertainty margins into its models, ensuring safety and reliability in all applications.
For Bauchy, the mission extends beyond technology: “We have a collective responsibility to use AI for good — addressing climate change, not exacerbating it.”
