(Part of our countdown to the How Builders Can Leverage AI to Supercharge Their Business Educational Series)
If you’re in construction, you’ve heard the buzz about Artificial Intelligence (AI).The real question: “What exactly can I do right now so it actually helps my business and doesn’t just add another tool I don’t use?”
On November 11, the Arizona Builders Alliance (ABA) hosts a live session:
How Builders Can Leverage AI to Supercharge Their Business led by yours truly.
We’ll cover the fundamentals, hands-on tools, real-world AEC use cases, and how to implement them safely. We will be following this up with a similar themed webinar.
Consider this your pre-game warm-up.
1: What We Mean by “AI” (and Key Terms to Know)
Before you can use it, you have to talk the talk. Here are a few terms every builder should understand:
- Generative AI: Smart content creation: text, images, or even drawings generated from input. For example, use it to draft a boilerplate subcontractor FAQ or create a concept graphic for a jobsite layout.
- Prompting: How you “talk” to the AI so it gives useful results. A good prompt = clear context + clear ask + optional constraints (e.g., “Generate a 300-word safety reminder for subs in plain English.”)
- Agents: Automated digital teammates that act on your behalf (see below).
- Data Security / Use Policy: If you’re feeding drawings, budgets, or subcontractor data into AI tools, you must know where that information lives, who has access, and how it’s protected.
2: Why Builders Should Care: Real-World Examples
Successful AI adoption in construction starts by leveraging the power of doing one thing. The first step isn’t to overhaul everything, it’s to pick one pain point, solve it with AI, measure success, and then scale.
Here are a few examples of “one-thing” wins:
- Proposal Automation: Use a generative AI tool to draft proposal language or RFQ responses, then edit and finalize.
- Virtual Assistant for Internal Comms: A lightweight agent can monitor open tasks and send a daily “follow-up list” email to PMs or superintendents.
- Document Summaries: Use AI to parse daily logs or inspection notes and auto-generate client updates.
- Start Small, Measure: Track time saved, fewer errors, or improved turnaround. Then repeat.
3: Agents: Your Digital Teammates on the Jobsite
AI agents aren’t just chatbots that answer questions, they’re digital teammates that can take action. An AI agent is an AI system designed to act on behalf of a user by understanding tasks, creating plans, using tools, and executing steps. In other words, these systems don’t just give answers, they can act on them.
Think of it like this:
Imagine a capable project coordinator who never sleeps, one that can monitor your inbox for RFIs, send reminders when approvals stall, summarize daily logs, or flag incomplete safety forms before the superintendent even walks the site. That’s what an AI agent can do. It connects with your existing systems (like Procore, Teams, or Outlook), reads the data, interprets it, and triggers the next step automatically.
But just like any crew member, AI agents need supervision. Their job is to support you, not replace your judgment. You’re still the foreman in charge, ensuring their work aligns with your project goals, company standards, and client expectations. The smartest builders will treat AI as an extra set of capable hands, not a replacement for human leadership and judgement.
In my upcoming ABA class, we’ll go hands-on to build simple virtual agents that help support builders and PMs. You’ll see how these agents can:
- Check status updates from project data and draft follow-up notes automatically
- Generate proposals or estimate templates with minimal input
- Escalate safety issues by analyzing daily reports
- Free up your team’s focus for higher-value decisions instead of repetitive coordination
This is where AI moves from theory to practical construction advantage. By offloading repetitive communication, documentation, and monitoring tasks, agents allow your team to stay focused on what really matters; delivering projects on time, safely, and profitably.
4: Build a Use Policy Before You Build an Assistant
You’re a builder who takes quality seriously. That means when you bring AI into your toolbox, you should treat it like any other tool; with safety, process, and clarity.
Here’s a quick builder-friendly checklist to start:
- Define what kind of data you will (and will not) feed into AI tools.
- Decide who in your organization can use AI (PMs, Ops Leads, Admins).
- Require review of all generated outputs before they go out.
- Document how you’re using it (proposal generation, RFI summaries, etc.).
- Measure success: time saved, quality improved, fewer follow-ups.
- Include security and backups in your process.
- Review and update your policy every 6–12 months.
(Tip: I’ll be sharing an AI Use Policy document in the training).
5: A Quick Teaser Use-Case: “The FAQ Bot”
Imagine managing a roofing project where subs keep asking the same 10 questions:
“When’s the next inspection?”
“Where do I send my invoice?”
“What’s the staging-area access after 4 pm?”
A simple virtual assistant can:
- Recognize the question pattern
- Retrieve the right response from your FAQ database
- Send a clear, accurate answer instantly
- Track which questions come up most often
Result? Less typing, faster answers, and better insight into what’s slowing your field teams down.
What To Remember
Don’t wait for everything to be perfect before you get started. The real opportunity is choosing one smart use case, doing it well, and building from there. “Start with one thing.”
If you’re ready to take that step, join us November 11, 8:30–10:30 AM at the Arizona Builders Alliance (or via MS Teams). Also keep an eye at for the upcoming webinar (details to come). We’ll explore how to build virtual assistants, automate repetitive tasks, and use AI safely and efficiently in your business. Let’s Build Together!
Register today: Leverage AI
1661 N. Swan Rd, Suite 144, Tucson AZ 85712
$30 ABA Members / $60 Non-Members
See you there, ready to supercharge your business with AI.
