Concrete Intelligence: A Practical Guide to AI for the Industries that Build, Move, and Power the World

This book has been donated to the public domain to encourage education in decision makers in legacy industry.

In a world where artificial intelligence is often discussed in abstract terms, the manufacturing, construction, logistics, agriculture, and energy sectors have largely remained on the sidelines. Concrete Intelligence bridges that gap by offering a pragmatic, step‑by‑step playbook for deploying AI in asset‑intensive environments where reliability, safety, and measurable ROI are non‑negotiable.

Why This Book?

While Silicon Valley loves to speculate on AI's theoretical power, this book focuses on the bottom‑line outcomes that matter to operators: a 50 % reduction in unplanned downtime, a 99.5 % accuracy in quality control, a 20 % cut in energy consumption, and the prevention of catastrophic equipment failures before they happen.

What makes the approach different

Unlike generic AI handbooks, Concrete Intelligence speaks the language of heavy industry: aging infrastructure, safety‑critical processes, a dearth of skilled labor, and rugged, real‑world conditions. Every recommendation has been field‑tested in plants where downtime can cost thousands of dollars per minute and safety can't be compromised.

Core insights

• AI augments, it does not replace, human expertise.
• The biggest hurdle is not technology but change‑management and organizational readiness.
• Success begins with small, proof‑of‑value pilots that can be scaled systematically.
• Data need only be "good enough" to solve the specific business problem.
• Waiting to adopt AI now costs more than investing in it now.

Practical value

Readers gain ready‑to‑use frameworks for selecting use cases, vetting vendors, building business cases, and steering implementation projects. The book includes ROI worksheets, vendor checklists, and step‑by‑step deployment guides that can be deployed immediately.

Industry‑specific guidance

Separate chapters provide detailed playbooks for:

• Manufacturing – predictive maintenance, quality control.
• Construction – project risk assessment, safety monitoring.
• Logistics – dynamic routing, demand forecasting.
• Agriculture – precision farming, crop monitoring.
• Energy – asset health monitoring, grid optimization.

Implementation focus

Beyond explaining what AI can do, the book delivers concrete governance frameworks, change‑management tactics, risk‑mitigation strategies, and scaling methodologies that have been proven in traditional industry environments.

Who it is for

This guide serves both strategic leaders and hands‑on managers who want to harness AI's power while navigating the complexities of deploying advanced technology in heavy‑industry settings. It is written for executives who value substance over hype and results over promises.

About the Author:

Before AI was a boardroom buzzword, Anthony Maio was building systems where downtime meant real money lost—authentication platforms handling millions of users, trading systems for top-tier investment banks, and cloud infrastructure managing billions in assets. His research into mobile phone vulnerabilities as a college student led to work in signals intelligence and counter-terrorism. After engineering for a rubber and plastics manufacturer while finishing school, he spent two decades in fintech and consumer web platforms. Preaching that AI is underhyped rather than overhyped, Maio now bridges the gap between eager young engineers armed with bleeding-edge AI and the production experience they lack. His early adoption of AI tools while leading a platform team at a major online sportsbook helped quadruple velocity in nine months. He writes for engineers and business leaders who need results over potential.