Artificial Intelligence Technology for Path Planning of Automated Earthwork Machinery

ABSTRACT The challenging characteristics of earthwork environments—complex, unstructured, and constantly evolving—pose significant challenges for the path planning of automated earthwork machinery. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology have opened new avenues to address these challenges, which are crucial for improving the intelligence level of automated earthwork machinery. However, there is a notable lack of comprehensive analyses on AI‐based path planning in earthwork operations. Consequently, we provide a systematic review of four AI technologies currently employed in path planning for earthwork machinery, including (1) evolutionary computation, (2) swarm intelligence, (3) machine learning, and (4) other AI‐based technologies. We analyzed the application and performance evaluation results of these technologies across various construction machinery. Through this systematic analysis, we identified several key challenges: (1) multiconstraint earthwork environments, (2) generalization across 3D unstructured sites, (3) adaptability to dynamically uncertain environments, and (4) shortage of on‐site validation. We then outline potential future directions: (1) integration of generative AI with reinforcement learning, (2) use of large model technology, (3) adoption of embodied intelligence technology, and (4) conduction of more on‐site experiments.