Smart technologies using AI will help conserve electricity in the future, says Anson Sando

Kunal Shankar, Deputy Business Editor, The Hindu; Anson Sando, Co-Founder and Director, Elementech Circle, IIT Madras; and C.S. Santoshraj, Managing Partner of KeyStone Space. | Photo Credit: B. Velankanni Raj Smart technologies using Artificial Intelligence (AI) are making in roads in helping efficient use of electricity even while bringing down the electricity usage, said Anson Sando, Co-Founder and Director, Elementech Circle, IIT Madras.Mr. Sando was speaking on the topic ‘Building the future: how AI and emerging technologies are transforming construction’, at The Hindu Real Estate and Urban Infrastructure Summit 2026, said the single most pressing issue in the future will be making affordable cooling available to all. Mr. Sando said smart technologies using AI for efficient cooling have been tested in Andhra Pradesh by their company with savings of nearly 30% in energy bills.The smart cooling technology identifies the place where cooling is needed and accordingly provides it. AI impactRegarding the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in the construction industry C.S. Santoshraj, Managing Partner of KeyStone Space, said AI has become part of life for all activities but similar to Google, which started 15 years ago, cost would be added for using the technology in the coming years. Mr. Santoshraj said the perspective of job loss because of AI is real but not on the execution side, where construction automation is yet to happen. However, scaling down on the administration side due to crunching of data is a possibility.He said that engaging the service personnel including plumbers, electricians and masons will become pricier in the coming days. Talking about the perception that home buyers will not welcome the additional costs when builders adopt smart technologies for residential use, Mr. Santoshraj said that the State government should become the catalyst for making people install the technology by giving tax benefits similar to the subsidy given for roof top solar panels.Kunal Shankar, Deputy Business Editor, The Hindu, moderated the concluding session of the summit. The Real Estate and Infrastructure Summit 2026 is presented by Casagrand in association with Adissia Developers. The event is supported by associate partners: Navin’s and Mindspace REIT; banking partner: State Bank of India; insurance partner: United India Insurance; academic partner: Saveetha College of Architecture and Design; industry partner: CREDAI Chennai; television partner: Puthiya Thalaimurai; and digital news partner: The Federal. Published - July 30, 2026 11:21 pm IST