AI in Action: How the Hong Kong Development Bureau Built the PSS, an Early-Warning-Sign System for Public Works Projects

Hong Kong has a large volume of construction works currently taking place; this will increase further and faster in the coming years. Hong Kong’s projects typically come in 15% under budget. However, ten per cent of local projects over-run their budgets, with a total overspend of eight percent. Some flagship projects have over-run their budgets and completion dates, causing public embarrassment. It is considered crucial to get these cost and schedule estimates under control. We investigated whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play a part in accurately predicting these outcomes and in identifying ahead of time when a project is going off track, allowing early intervention.