Over the past three years, something has been quietly
shifting in the offsite construction industry, and not for the better. It’s not
about materials, automation, or even labor shortages this time. It’s about who
is giving advice—and how they’re doing it.
When AI Becomes the Consultant Instead of the Tool
A new wave of consultants has entered the space, many of
whom have little or no hands-on experience in a modular factory, on a jobsite,
in executive management, or even in industry sales. That alone isn’t the issue.
Every industry benefits from fresh perspectives. The problem is how these
individuals are positioning themselves as experts.
They are using artificial intelligence to generate reports
on specific companies, market segments, and operational challenges. Those
reports, often polished and convincing on the surface, are then used as the
foundation for outreach campaigns. Owners, GMs, investors, and board members
are being approached with highly tailored insights that appear thoughtful and
informed. In reality, much of it is produced in seconds by AI tools with no
real understanding of the nuances behind the data.
Once hired, the pattern continues. AI is used to produce
SOPs, business plans, marketing strategies, and production optimization models.
Webinars and full-day workshops are created the same way. The consultant
becomes more of a middleman between the client and the software, often without
the experience needed to question, validate, or adapt what the AI produces.
A Lesson from the Classroom
This situation reminds me of something from my own past.
Back in high school, I was selected for a new accelerated math program. It
sounded exciting until we realized the teacher assigned to lead us was only
about a chapter ahead of the class.
A few of us decided to read ahead. Before long, it became
obvious that we were teaching ourselves more effectively than the instructor
could teach us. Eight of us completed a full year’s curriculum in half the
time, not because we were geniuses, but because we recognized the limitations
of someone who didn’t truly understand the material they were presenting.
That was decades ago, long before AI entered the picture.
Today, the dynamic feels uncomfortably similar. The difference is that now the
“teacher” has a powerful tool that can generate answers instantly, making it
harder to spot the lack of real expertise behind the curtain.
The Risk of Unchecked Output
Every credible AI platform includes a warning: verify the
output, because it may not be accurate. That warning is there for a reason. AI
does not understand context the way experienced professionals do. It does not
walk factory floors, deal with production bottlenecks, negotiate with transport
companies, or manage crews in the field. It processes patterns and generates
responses based on probability, not lived experience.
When a consultant without industry knowledge accepts
AI-generated content as fact, the risk multiplies. Recommendations may sound
logical but fail in execution. Plans may look complete but ignore critical
variables. Strategies may appear innovative but collapse under real-world
conditions.
In an industry where margins are tight and mistakes are
expensive, that’s not a small problem.
LinkedIn’s New “Experts”
Spend a little time on LinkedIn and you’ll see the trend
playing out in real time. New consultants are appearing almost daily, many of
whom have no visible track record in offsite construction. Yet they speak with
confidence about fixing factories, improving production, and transforming
business models.
For someone new to the industry, or for an owner under
pressure to improve performance, these voices can sound compelling. The
language is polished. The insights seem specific. The solutions look
comprehensive.
But scratch the surface, and too often there’s little
substance behind it.
Experience Still Matters
Offsite construction is not a theoretical exercise. It’s a
complex, interconnected process that spans design, engineering, manufacturing,
logistics, and field execution. It requires an understanding of how decisions
made in one part of the process ripple through the entire system.
That kind of understanding doesn’t come from prompts and
generated reports. It comes from years of experience, from making mistakes,
from solving problems in real time, and from seeing what actually works when
the modules leave the factory and hit the jobsite.
AI can be a valuable tool in the hands of someone who knows
what they’re doing. It can speed up analysis, improve communication, and
support better decision-making. But it cannot replace experience, and it
certainly shouldn’t be used to fake it.
Modcoach Observations
If you’re an owner, GM, or investor, ask one simple question
before hiring any consultant: “Tell me about the last time you personally
solved this problem in a factory or on a jobsite.” Not what a report says. Not
what a model suggests. What they did.
AI can write a great plan in ten seconds. It takes years to
know whether that plan will actually work.
In this industry, you don’t need someone who knows how to
ask better questions to a computer. You need someone who already knows the
answers—and understands when the computer is wrong.
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