The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on our lives is seldom out of the headlines these days, whether it鈥檚 Paul McCartney recording silence to protest at copyright theft by AI, TikTok replacing human content moderators or more uplifting news about AI鈥檚 potential for diagnosing prostate cancer and AI chatbots delivering talking therapy to help with mental health support.
Depending on your view, AI is either the saviour of the human race or its nemesis.
In reality, AI is probably just another new tool that, if used responsibly, has the potential to benefit us all. In November 2025, Skills England 鈥� the agency set up in June by the Department for Education to help close the skills gap 鈥� published a report analysing 鈥楢I upskilling needs, barriers and opportunities鈥� across 10 growth sectors and introducing tools to support employers and training providers.
Construction was one of those 10 growth sectors. And the author of the report, Dr Nisreen Ameen from Royal Holloway, University of London, concluded that the construction sector remains one of the 鈥渓east digitally mature鈥�.
鈥淎I uptake remains constrained by workforce digital literacy and limited integration into vocational pathways,鈥� he said.
The report grouped AI skills into three domains: technical AI skills, non-technical AI skills, and responsible and ethical competencies (see box, p51).
As far as construction is concerned, the report identified a handful of sector-specific workforce challenges including digital exclusion among older workers, those in trades-based roles and firms in rural or economically disadvantaged regions.
Most existing AI training is not tailored to construction or provided in accessible, on-site formats, said the report, and smaller firms often lack capacity or awareness of emerging training schemes.
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) acknowledges the huge potential for AI in the construction industry and agrees that training is essential.
In December 2023 the CIOB held a global online conference evaluating the role of artificial intelligence in construction. This led to the publication the following year of the CIOB鈥檚 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Playbook 2024, which concluded that 鈥淎I has the potential to revolutionise our sector, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), by democratising access to emerging technologies and applications, enabling them to compete at a larger scale.鈥�
According to David Philp, chair of CIOB鈥檚 digital & innovation panel, 鈥淭here鈥檚 a real sense of excitement about the opportunities AI presents. It is adding value across the project lifecycle, particularly in project management, design & planning, health & safety monitoring, quality control and predictive maintenance.
鈥淢y advice to employers is to focus on building basic digital literacy, start with small pilot projects and ensure training is accessible to all skill levels so the whole workforce can benefit from AI.鈥�
Some contractors are taking Philp鈥檚 advice. Bovis is running a part-time digital apprenticeship programme, now on its second cohort. Each 15-month course is designed to provide trainees with the digital skills and knowledge to 鈥渋ncrease efficiencies, avoid repetitive work, improve reporting through analytics and unlock the potential of AI and machine learning鈥�.
Mark Ainsworth, executive director of operations at Bovis, says: 鈥淏y capturing high-quality data and equipping our teams with digital skills, we鈥檙e not just improving efficiency, we鈥檙e creating safer, smarter and more resilient projects.鈥�
And it鈥檚 not just contractors who are taking an interest in construction AI. Over at insurance broker Marsh Speciality UK, Kelly Looney, chief executive for UK construction, infrastructure and surety, sees AI as a useful tool for controlling risk.
鈥淲hilst we are not seeing a huge amount of AI being deployed on-site, it can certainly enhance the approach to on-site risks,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e are already seeing some health and safety AI integration, such as using CCTV on site from which data reports are produced on issues such as PPE use, scaffolding safety and site traffic adherence to one-way systems.鈥�
Looney says that it is reasonable to assume AI will have a role in improving risk management, 鈥渃runching data and providing meaningful insights to quickly demonstrate trends for improvement.
This article was first published in the January 2026 issue of 芭乐视频 Magazine. Sign up online.
鈥淢odern methods of construction compliance could speed this up,鈥� she adds. 鈥淲e are seeing some clients focus on software tools, electronic technology, apps and data being pulled from on-site risks to better direct product quality and solutions. AI is a natural evolutionary step for these strategies.鈥澛�
EdApp 鈥� an Australian 鈥榤obile-first learning management system鈥� designed to deliver bite-sized micro-lessons for corporate and educational training 鈥� is an example of this, says Looney. The app breaks down content into short three- to five-minute lessons suitable for mobile devices, uses gaming technology to make learning fun and can include immediate translation of health & safety training and signage into foreign languages.
AI is already making its mark in construction design and engineering. Birmingham-based property and construction consultant Ridge & Partners is harnessing AI-enhanced architecture, engineering & construction software. 鈥淭his includes generative AI for concept design and content creation as well as computer vision and machine learning programmes used for data analysis,鈥� says Mike Edwards, a partner in the building surveying division.
He explains: 鈥淭hese tools are more like an enhanced, more intuitive, way for people to interact with BIM [building information management] as well as other information management and data systems.鈥�
AI enables engineers, designers and architects to collaborate in real time by co-editing drawings, streamlining quality assurance and accelerating design reviews by up to 50%, says Edwards.
Ridge now integrates 鈥榙rone-as-a-service鈥� 鈥� providing the drones, pilots, software and data analysis 鈥� into its aerial surveys via its PilotForce division. This combines advanced optical and infrared sensors that collect millions of high-resolution images with an AI-powered defect detection tool that can capture critical details that traditional inspections miss. This helps reveal structural issues, track asset deterioration and enable early intervention before problems escalate. Ridge says this has increased the efficiency of external condition reporting by 60%.
This article was first published in the January 2026 issue of 芭乐视频 Magazine. Sign up online.
Edwards continues: 鈥淲e are working with higher education clients utilising GeoAI to automate counting of trees, vehicles etc.鈥� GeoAI is a system using proprietary software that combines AI with geospatial data analysis.
鈥淥ur deployment of PilotForce AI with the University of the West of England has been particularly successful in reducing building surveyor time spent analysing imagery to identify building defects,鈥� says Edwards. 鈥淭he AI pre-analyses the imagery and colour codes the imagery plotted onto a map based on a red/amber/green condition rating.鈥�
Tony Hardy, a partner with Essex-based consultants Stace, says his business has taken a phased approach to the adoption of AI 鈥渢o support uptake and avoid change fatigue.
鈥淎long the way, we鈥檝e run practical internal sessions and produced quick-reference guides so teams can use AI effectively. It is already embedded in our cost management processes,鈥� he says.
鈥淲e use it to interrogate internal cost data, refine benchmarking and support early estimating, giving clients clearer insight at the point where design decisions matter most.鈥� Stace uses Kreo, an AI construction takeoff software with estimating capabilities, to help with feasibility modelling, scenario testing and early design interrogation. 鈥淚t helps us identify cost pressures and opportunities before costs are committed,鈥� says Hardy.
Dr Mike Rustell, until recently a lecturer and AI researcher at Brunel University, set up his own construction AI consultancy, called Inframatic, in July 2025. Inframatic promises to 鈥渂ridge the gap between AI innovation and civil engineering鈥� and 鈥渋mplement AI agents that make informed decisions based on real-time data and engineering principles鈥�.
Rustell, himself a chartered civil engineer, says that 鈥楢I agents鈥� represent one of the most exciting opportunities for construction firms: 鈥淭hese are autonomous systems that can interact with design software, execute multi-step workflows, and take actions 鈥� not just answer questions.
鈥淲e are already seeing companies emerge with custom agents tailored to specific engineering tools, and this will only accelerate. Agents have the potential to reshape how projects are delivered,鈥� says Rustell.
鈥淭he industry is in its early days here. The workflows are complex, the consequences of error significant and the integration challenge substantial. But compliance and assurance is where AI could ultimately deliver the greatest value 鈥� if implemented with appropriate rigour.鈥�
Engineers must learn to treat AI as they would a capable but inexperienced colleague who requires supervision, says Rustell. 鈥淐onfidence in AI outputs is not the same as correctness. The core professional skill is evolving from producing answers to validating them. Humans and AI have complementary strengths and each can verify the other.鈥�
Others agree: 鈥淭he future of construction lies in combining human expertise with the power of data and AI,鈥� says Bovis operations director Mark Ainsworth. Marsh鈥檚 Kelly Looney adds: 鈥淗ealth and safety, as well as risk management initiatives, need a human eye to understand the challenges,鈥� and Tony Hardy from Stace says: 鈥淭he quality of prompts directly impacts the quality of results. AI is here to support professional judgement, not replace it.鈥�
This article was first published in the January 2026 issue of 芭乐视频 Magazine. Sign up online.
鈥淒on鈥檛 over-rely on automation at the expense of human judgement,鈥� warns the CIOB鈥檚 David Philp. 鈥淢aintain strong cybersecurity and data-privacy practices, avoid 鈥榖lack box鈥� systems that lack transparency and be vigilant about data quality and bias.鈥�
This AI 鈥榖lack box鈥� warning is clearly referenced in the CIOB鈥檚 AI Playbook, which says: 鈥淚n many cases, we have no idea how AI systems make their decisions鈥ssentially, we need a 鈥榳hite box鈥� approach which understands AI鈥檚 reasoning and probability, as well as considering the various consent, data rights and ethical data issues involved.鈥�
Help is on hand, not just from construction sector-specific bodies but from other sources,聽 such as the UK鈥檚 BridgeAI programme, a government-funded initiative seeking to accelerate the adoption of AI and machine learning. The Skills England report also has an employer AI adoption checklist, as well as links to AI skills tools packages.
AI is already making inroads into the construction industry and while some might struggle to ride the learning curve, the benefits of embracing the technology are worth the effort, says Looney: 鈥淚t has the potential to bridge the skills gap, which the industry currently faces at all levels. AI can also help reduce frictional cost on site, increase competitive advantage and potentially support contractors in winning tenders where the use of AI may become more pertinent in contracts.鈥�
BRUSH UP YOUR AI SKILLS
Here are the most pressing AI skills in construction, according to Skills England:
Technical AI skills
- using drones for site mapping
- interacting with AI-supported project planning tools
- understanding data from BIM systems
Non-technical AI skills:
- interpreting AI output and applying them in on-site decisions
- communicating change across teams
Responsible and ethical competencies:
- understanding environmental effects of automation
- ensuring ethical use of surveillance tools such as site monitoring drones
- embedding inclusive design thinking into sustainability-oriented projects
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