Construction Technology

Three months into 2025, the artificial intelligence arms race continues for builders. Large contractors, such as London-based Balfour Beatty and Swedish builder Skanska, are developing their own AI-based tools to aid their construction processes.

Other builders use tech solutions that come from vendors. Marietta, Georgia-based Cork Howard, for example, uses Billy the Bot, named and created by Mountain View, California-based software firm Stampli. With the tech, the team is able to cut down on the time, effort and focus necessary to track the litany of invoices that the firm receives and needs to process on any given day.

It’s not just finance, either — AI and its uses were the talk of the expo at Engineering News-Record’s FutureTech conference in 2024, where builders discussed how they used it to check contracts for compliance and increase jobsite safety.

Now, the next iteration of AI is knocking on the construction industry’s door — agentic AI. A type of artificial intelligence that tech giant Nvidia claimed in a Jan. 6 blog post will act as a “knowledge robot,” the tech holds the promise to help companies across industries, not just builders, automate their work. But whether the buzz around it is just hype or has real potential can be difficult for builders to parse as they consider its uses in their day-to-day work.

What is agentic AI?

Agentic AI is an evolution of generative AI — it’s still trained on specific data sets, and users can still interact with it via a chat or prompt. However, what sets the tech aside is its ability to act autonomously.

“Agentic AI represents the next wave in the evolution of generative AI. It enables applications to move beyond simple chatbot interactions to tackle complex, multi-step problems through sophisticated reasoning and planning,” Nvidia wrote.

In other words, agentic AI takes that answer a step further. 

For example, a builder might ask a generative AI bot to figure out how much money it owed to a specific concrete subcontractor in 2024. The bot would answer that query based on that single interaction.

By contrast, agentic AI could create a plan around the bills and invoices autonomously, with the human taking action.

Barry Mostert, tech giant Oracle’s senior director of artificial intelligence and analytics, wrote in a Feb. 10 blog post that agentic AI puts the construction industry “on the brink of a transformative leap.” AI agents could help builders improve safety, optimize their costs and proactively mitigate risk, Mostert claimed.

Patrick Murphy, the CEO of estimating and takeoff software creator Togal.AI, said that an agentic AI chatbot could operate much like an employee.

“For example, instead of asking an AI to write a few plans and then reviewing them yourself, you could tell an agentic AI to generate multiple options, analyze all the data, select the best one, and even propose new ideas based on current market trends,” Murphy said. “Then, it could check back in 48 hours with a full report.”

Worth the hype?

Although some analysts expect businesses to quickly reap the rewards from AI agents, others are expressing caution, specifically regarding security concerns, CIO Dive reported in January.

“Even though it might be overhyped in the first year, we’re going to be seeing some interesting results this year and also probably some epic failures,” Vladimir Lukic, global leader of Boston Consulting Group’s Technology and Digital Advantage practice, told CIO Dive.

Senthil Kumar, the chief technology officer for Slate Technologies, a contech firm that creates AI tech for the real estate, building and investment industries, is taking a more measured approach. Kumar noted that AI in construction is full of failed full-automation promises, but that the tech could help contractors who carefully implement it get a let up on their peers. 

Kumar said that agentic AI could, for example, help builders manage their schedules, manage risk and compliance, optimize how resources are used and anticipate supply chain disruptions. But knowing that it isn’t a technological cure-all is important.

“There is of course no magical overnight transformation and if one is expected, people will be disappointed,” Kumar told Construction Dive via email. “Those integrating this AI strategically, will gain a significant competitive edge.”

Indeed, other experts are far from certain of agentic AI’s potential, and outright doubtful of its capabilities at present.

“We conducted a thorough review of AI agents in production, analyzing their goals, operational mechanisms, and the extent of their autonomous behavior,” Craig Le Clair, principal analyst at Cambridge, Massachusetts-based market research firm Forrester, told CIO Dive in an email. “Basically, most agents are far from agentic. This is the future and does not yet exist.”

Not on autopilot

Kumar also warned contractors about potential red flags that they could come across from vendors who might be selling a product that isn’t a good fit. 

These range from an AI system that can’t explain its output or an improper integration strategy, to overpromised return on investment or a guarantee of full autonomy. An optimal system, Kumar said, needs human-in-the-loop oversight.

“Selecting the wrong vendor, adopting suboptimal technology, or executing a flawed implementation strategy can result in operational inefficiencies, unrealized potential and wasted investments,” Kumar wrote.

Tracking the progress of structural steel erection on any job is paramount. One incorrect or misplaced beam can potentially put the whole project in jeopardy.

Yet, the problems with how firms track steel are manifold — some firms plunk data into an Excel spreadsheet, and there can be a discrepancy in data standards among stakeholders on a project.

Boston-based Suffolk Construction has a solution that it developed in house. Live Dimensions, created by Suffolk’s Director of Digital Engineering Denis Leff, utilizes BIM models to track steel progress from design through fabrication and final construction. It has already identified common pitfalls in the erection process, he said, saving the firm time. 

In a news release, Suffolk said Live Dimensions uses artificial intelligence to parse datasets and standardize information into a unified database. That allows it to dynamically update the BIM model, which provides a real-time snapshot of a project’s structural steel status.

Secrets to success

Leff said that his interest in tech began when he spent time working for Samsung in South Korea — he worked from 2010 to 2016 as a BIM development manager at the company’s construction and trading division headquarters in Seoul.

Since moving on to Suffolk, Leff’s passion has been bringing BIM to the masses, even non-experts. Hence, Live Dimensions was born. 

“BIM models hold all the information of what we're about to build,” Leff said. “And I see them generally as underleveraged in our industry, partially because the technology blocks a lot of people. They don't know how to access the data unless you're a BIM expert.”

Currently, Suffolk is using Live Dimensions on its South Shore University Hospital Pavilion Core & Shell project in Bay Shore, New York. The scope for the first phase of work includes abatement and demolition, site utilities and the full core and shell, according to the project’s information page. The $468 million project celebrated its steel topping out in October, and will be completed in the second quarter of 2026, according to the hospital network.

The program helped with two key issues on the build: tracking completion and deliveries. It kept the team from having to deal with piecemeal data entry into an Excel spreadsheet or using costly tracking software. 

Instead, users simply dragged and dropped a BIM model into the program, marking it as ready to track. When steel was delivered, they then scanned the bill of lading from the delivery firm and uploaded it to Live Dimensions.

“Knowing where the material is and what state it is in to ensure continuity in the field is really important, because you don't just stop steel if the steel isn’t ready. You stop the entire project,” Leff said. 

While Leff said it was too early to assess whether the tool can help with mitigating rework, it’s been useful in identifying, and tracking, the routine mishaps that can occur during the erection process, such as bolt hole misalignments and damaged beam replacement.

“A lot of this stuff is par for the course. It happens on every project,” Leff said. “But we're really trying to get an understanding —  is it a project in New York? Is it a particular contractor? Is it a particular fabricator? Is this going to happen, more or less, with certain people that we partner with?”

A focus on innovation

Leff said he built the software in a six-month period before the company was going to put steel up on the South Shore project. With the help of Matthew Chen, a digital engineering intern for the contractor, Leff also turned Live Dimensions from an app into a web-based platform.

Suffolk’s focus on innovation made it easy to iterate the solution — the company has an in-house venture capital arm, Suffolk Ventures, which invests in construction technology across the building cycle. 

“We're very tech-forward as an organization, so there's a lot of support for reaching our goals, our passions, if they fit the bill of moving our company forward,” Leff said.

If Leff were to build this program outside of the company, he said he’d be under more time constraints.

“Here, I'm able to understand the project's needs at a comfortable pace, try things out, reiterate, improve,” Leff said. “It's not like being an external person trying to create a solution for someone else. You have a little bit more time to do things thoughtfully, and that's why I'm going one project at a time.”

Poettker Construction, located in Breese, Illinois, uses its drones as a “jack of all trades” tool, according to the company’s in-house operator. Inspection, marketing, photography and safety all fit neatly into Poettker’s drone program, which the builder announced in February.

Already, people on the ground and in the front office are seeing it pay dividends.

Here, Charles Wilson, Poettker’s vice president of risk management, and Logan Decker, who runs the drone program, talk with Construction Dive about its origins, how the firm overcame hurdles and advice for builders curious about drones.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

CONSTRUCTION DIVE: How did the drone program at Poettker start?

CHARLES WILSON: Utilizing outside resources can be costly, and at some point in time, there’s a return on investment if you were to invest in your own drone equipment and own operator. Plus, there's an advantage to having control over the data and being able to do more with the data that you're collecting.

When the decision came to whether or not we wanted to have a drone and drone operator in-house, it really was a no brainer for us.

We decided that we wanted this to live within our risk management department, because we felt like the equipment had the opportunity to drive down our rework and also promote the workmanship that's being put in place out there, and overall, make people safer.

When we sat back and we analyzed that internally, we also realized that we were able to support other initiatives and how we execute them, those being safety, quality and production.

How do you deploy the technology in those areas?

WILSON: With safety, we can perform inspections of elevated positions without having to have a physical person access the work.  We are able to inspect our project sites and identify hazards from the air. 

With quality, we can fly our projects and have our quality staff review the footage of definable features of work.  This allows our staff to cover more of our projects at once while still reviewing the quality of work being put in place in near to real time.

There’s also the marketing aspect, which is primarily what we're using the photography for. 

What was it like implementing the program on the jobsite? 

LOGAN DECKER: Whenever you implement technology to oversee safety and quality and all these different things that we use it for, you tend to get a little pushback, but it's been pretty good so far.

We’re trying to get people to know that it's there for their use whenever they need it. It doesn't always come to everyone's mind at first. Normally, they're going to go to what they've relied on over the past few years or even longer, until we can drive home that the drone is here for your use and your position, whatever that may be. Then it's just slowly and steadily growing the number of flights and the frequency.

WILSON: I think one thing that could be very easy to run into, especially when you start a program like this, is you don't know what you don't know. Logan started back in June, so we're not even a year into having this program going, but there is a lot of buzz out there.

I think we may not have anticipated it taking off as fast as it did. We actually had to come up with our own scheduling solution to ensure that everybody's getting the service that they require in a timely manner.

We have to remind ourselves too, because the equipment is so robust and it does have such a benefit that we don't want to oversell ourselves because we're still learning it. We're still learning not only the equipment, but the capabilities and perfecting that.

And at times, we have to remind ourselves that we are a construction company that has drones. We're not a drone company that happens to do construction.

If you were starting this program again, what would you do differently?

WILSON: When it comes to technology, it moves fast, and it changes fast. I would say there's multiple times as we've been going through this process that we've tried something and we had to tweak it or change it. It’s a part of adapting and overcoming.

Some advice that I would give somebody is, understand your company's needs and your client’s needs, and establish buy-in with your stakeholders. 

I think it was pretty pivotal for us when we purchased the equipment, we also purchased training on the equipment. They actually sent out the instructor and did physical training here at our facility with Logan, and that was really critical for us to understand not only the capabilities of equipment, but the capabilities of Logan and actually see our money that we spent in use.

DECKER: I would keep up with any changes to the drone software. They're constantly updating. I don't know how many times it’s happened, where I'll have an updated drone go out to the field, get ready to fly and then another update is pushed. 

Making sure that we're staying up on that and how they function, and how they can give us better information or allow us to process information more efficiently — the more you stay on top of that stuff, the better product it's going to spit out to you and your team members, and then your customers and stakeholders.

The construction industry generates more data than ever, but much of it is disorganized and not standardized, according to panelists at this year’s New York Build Conference, held March 12-13 at the Javits Center in New York City.

One of the key themes throughout the conference: While the construction industry produces enormous amounts of data, much of it remains siloed and inconsistent across projects.

Standardization is a challenge, leading to inefficiencies and lost time, said Charlie Portelli, digital innovation strategist at Perkins&Will, a Chicago-based global design firm.

“There’s data all around us, from our models, spreadsheets, contract documents, email communications, teams, chats, but it’s not really organized,” said Portelli. “If you don’t normalize it, you’re just going to get spotty gibberish.”

Many firms still struggle to turn raw data into actionable insights, said Satoshi Kiyono, a virtual design and construction project manager at Turner Construction, a New York City-based general contractor.

“Data is around us everywhere. Now, there’s also a lot of data that is not collected, it’s not digitized,” said Kiyono. “But if you start understanding what is that digital information and how you can connect that information — that’s good data. How do you start measuring and connecting data that is noise versus what is valuable?”

For starters, construction firms can start using AI to validate data, automate workflows and improve overall decision-making, according to panelists.

“You’re really talking about sharing data in a way that can inform decisions,” said Sheena Shook, director of business development at Modulus Consulting, a San Francisco-based construction consulting firm.

Onsite tools

While cleaning up the data that’s available is still an issue, advancements in robotics and reality capture tools are pushing innovation around jobsite efficiency and capturing data in the first place.

From mobile scanning to AI-driven site analysis, these tools are rapidly changing the way contractors monitor and execute projects, said Salvatore Cali Jr., deputy commissioner of public buildings at the New York City Department of Design and Construction.

“We go in with a 360 camera and we actually survey the entire facility and that will be used to document the current conditions. That is being done monthly,” said Cali. “It’s used for change orders, payment, progress and assists with scheduling. That’s something brand new that we just started.”

Boston Dynamics’ Spot, a robotic dog used for site capture and safety monitoring, is making construction jobs safer by taking on high-risk tasks, said Shook. The robodog automates progress tracking and inspects hazardous areas, according to the Waltham, Massachusetts-based robotics company.

Over time, tools like these will allow for easier data collection, said Cali. That will ultimately provide AI the framework to spot patterns.

Nevertheless, mass adoption remains a work in progress, said Benjamin Friedman, lead data scientist with DLR Group, an Omaha, Nebraska-based design firm. That’s because all stakeholders, from general contractors to field workers, need to not only introduce these tools, but stick with them over time.

“Build it, don’t buy it,” said Friedman. “Clean data is required [and] is very hard work. None of this is a ‘pull it off the shelf and it’s going to solve all your problems.’ AI does not work that way.”

Dive Brief:

• San Jose, California-based electrical contractor Rosendin claims it has made a major breakthrough in solar construction technology and will demonstrate a new autonomous robotic solution for photovoltaic installation, according to a news release.
• Rosendin’s Renewable Energy Group will host the live exhibition of the tech — a 3-piece robotic system made of two panel-carrying robots and one panel-setting bot — at a large-scale solar energy project under construction in West Texas on April 17, according to the release.
• Operators will demonstrate the robot’s features, which include autonomous operations, obstacle detection and avoidance using LiDar, maneuverability across uneven terrain and precise positioning of PV panels within 2mm using GPS and KMZ mapping, per the release.

Dive Insight:

A real-time demonstration will show how skilled electrical teams work alongside the robotic system, collaboratively installing PV panels more quickly, safely and efficiently.

Rosendin said that the robots will triple installation speeds, enhance worker safety and address the industry’s persistent labor shortage, particularly as commercial solar panels can measure 4 feet by 8 feet and weigh between 80-100 pounds, per a Rosendin information packet detailing the robots. 

“We created a solution that will revolutionize the installation of renewable energy facilities worldwide by providing a safer, faster, repeatable, and more cost-effective means of deploying solar installations in remote locations,” said David Lincoln, Rosendin senior vice president, in the release.

On a solar project in Danevang, Texas, the robots achieved an installation rate equaling 350-400 modules per eight-hour shift, alongside a two-man crew working collaboratively with the robots. This installation rate was three times the rate of a standard three- to four-person crew installing modules manually, per the news release.

This isn’t the first time robotic technology has been tested on a solar project — in March 2023, Minneapolis-based Mortenson hosted a field trial for Salt Lake City, Utah-based Palladyne AI, then known as Sarcos Technology and Robotics, on one of its jobsites.

FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA — On Jan. 23, one of the coldest days in the D.C. region since 2018, Falls Church, Virginia-based HITT Contracting broke ground on its six-story, 270,000-square-foot headquarters that will emphasize sustainability and technology.

The building, designed by San Francisco-based architecture and design firm Gensler, will be powered by a 100,000-square-foot photovoltaic solar canopy and wind turbines, which the contractor said will offset all its energy needs, according to a news release. The company announced plans for the structure in November 2023.

It will also include an advanced power-over-ethernet system for lighting, electrical power, and data, alongside office furniture produced from recycled materials by HITT’s forthcoming 3D printing farm, per the release.

HITT CEO Kim Roy told Construction Dive she was looking forward to the photovoltaic array on the roof, which she said demonstrated the company’s commitment to sustainability.

“It’s very different — it’s a standout architectural feature, but also a physical representation of the impacts that builders should consider with energy usage and the environment,” Roy said.

The new home base will also contain a 40,000-square-foot research lab developed in partnership with Blacksburg, Virginia-based university Virginia Tech’s Coalition for Smart Construction, according to HITT. 

Joined by government officials, company executives and Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot dog, a parade of speakers praised HITT’s plans and the company’s history in Fairfax County, Virginia, where the contractor has worked since 1937.

“Thank you, HITT, for your investment, and thank you for trusting Virginia with the future of your company,” said Juan Pablo Segura, Virginia’s chief deputy secretary of commerce and trade, in a speech to attendees.

The two organizations will study technologies such as robotics and prefabricated structural steel frames, and engage the construction industry regularly through research and demonstrations, according to Shannon Andrea, director of communications and marketing in the D.C. area for Virginia Tech.

“We are excited to partner with HITT and grow our network of innovation to address the future of smart construction,” said Julie Ross, Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering at Virginia Tech, in the release. “Upon completion, this space will provide an opportunity to partner with industry in the development of new technologies and approaches that will transform the construction industry while supporting graduate student research and experiential learning.”

It will also be a short walk away from public transportation — commuters can take a bus or train to the nearby West Falls Church station, served by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the Washington, D.C., area’s transit agency.

The company expects to deliver the headquarters by 2027, per the release.