The application of collective intelligence in the construction industry: a review of the current state, challenges, and opportunities

Abstract

As the complexity of the construction industry increases, collective intelligence (CI) has emerged as a key driver in the sector’s intelligent transformation. However, existing research lacks a comprehensive and systematic review of the application of CI within the construction industry. This study addresses this gap by combining bibliometric analysis and systematic review to comprehensively summarize the application scenarios and key technologies of CI in construction. The findings reveal that CI has achieved significant advancements in energy efficiency management, decision support, collaborative design, construction management, public perception, and smart cities. The key technologies involved include multi-agent systems, data models, perception platforms, participatory crowdsourcing, and digital twins. Moreover, this study identifies several major challenges faced by CI in the construction industry, including issues related to data security and privacy protection, system compatibility, and technological maturity. Based on these challenges, the study proposes key directions for future research, including data sharing and privacy protection mechanisms, multi-agent collaboration frameworks across the building lifecycle, and user-feedback-driven adaptive optimization strategies. This study provides a theoretical foundation for the application and development of CI in the construction industry, with the aim of promoting the industry’s intelligent transformation and sustainable development.