AI clones roofing company’s website
The owners of St. Louis Roofing & Siding, St. Louis, allege someone used artificial intelligence to clone their company’s website and used the company’s credentials to solicit business, according to First Alert 4, a local Missouri news station.
When company owners Josh and Amy Vandevender asked ChatGPT for ideas to build a new website for St. Louis Roofing & Siding, they found a website at ExteriorSTL.com that had similarities in layout and wording to St. Louis Roofing & Siding’s website, including customer testimonials.
“We advertise an A+ rating with the BBB, 20 years of experience, number of projects done, the drone inspections, Owens Corning preferred,” Amy Vandevender says. “The fictitious site almost says that exactly: drone roof inspections, fully licensed, Owens Corning preferred.”
The address listed for Exterior STL does not exist, and the company is not listed with the Better Business Bureau or the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office.
The Vandevenders asked a neighbor to schedule a roof inspection with Exterior STL. The man who arrived, Claudio, said he was not a roofing worker and only performs inspections. Josh Vandevender asked the man about the website, saying it shows Exterior STL as an Owens Corning Preferred Contractor, which was denied by a local Owens Corning representative. Claudio said they could let him know what was wrong on the website and he would ask the company to change it.
Reporter Heather Sullivan contacted the phone number listed on Exterior STL’s website and talked to Gabe Waterhouse, who said Claudio created the website using AI. Waterhouse said they did not intend to take anything from another company, did not have any paying customers and planned to shut down Exterior STL.
Amy Vandevender filed a complaint with the website’s host, and the website was removed.
Michael Sweeney, director of cyber defense at Silent Push, a cybersecurity platform, reviewed both websites and said the Exterior STL website was set up to collect leads from people who needed roofing work.
“There are a lot of AI cloning sites to pull information [and] then reproduce the site,” Sweeney says. “It seemed to be that the infrastructure was feeding back into their local database and was essentially collecting that information.”
Attorneys say information published on a website has automatic copyright protection, according to First Alert 4.
Study identifies gap between AI training and industry needs
DEWALT, Towson, Md., recently conducted an “AI in the Trades” study, surveying construction professionals around the world. In the U.S., 90% of construction professionals believe AI will be indispensable within five years, yet only 8% currently use AI on the job.
Reportedly, the primary barrier to using AI cited by professionals is a lack of formal, job-relevant training. An overwhelming 87% of respondents say AI education must be embedded in trade schools and technical programs; and 59% reportedly expressed a need for hands-on training directly tied to real construction tasks.
Although 86% of construction professionals expressed feeling somewhat or very prepared to work with AI, most cited fragmented, informal learning as a barrier. Currently, tradespeople rely heavily on self-directed resources such as YouTube (40%) and online platforms like Coursera (39%) for AI education.
Other key findings from the DEWALT survey include:
- 83% of respondents say AI will be standard within three years
- 8% say AI is currently part of their day-to-day work
- 41% are using AI to help with estimation, procurement and supply-chain processes
To address the gap in AI training highlighted by these findings, DEWALT also is launching a pilot program with Associated Builders and Contractors Central Florida chapter’s Innovation and Technology Center. The program’s goal is to deliver hands-on job-site-relevant AI training for the next generation of skilled trades professionals.
To provide access to AI education nationally, DEWALT has committed $75,000 to ABC’s Trimmer Construction Education Fund toward grants that include AI-related initiatives. ABC chapters across the U.S. can apply for funding to initiate AI education programs and resources in their regions.
