The State of AI in the Trades

AI is no longer a question of if - it's a question of how

The conversation has changed. Very few people were debating what AI is and whether it belongs in construction anymore. Instead, they were asking how to introduce it productively and responsibly, where to start, and how to make it part of everyday work.

“More and more executives have realized you cannot just stop AI from coming into your company, no matter what you allow, people are using it. Instead of blocking it, you figure out a standard process everybody follows.”

- BIM Manager, mechanical subcontractor

“Five years from now, if you're not on board with it, you're ancient, getting left behind by some 22-year-old that just graduated.”

- Vice President, electrical subcontractor

The survey reflects the same reality. AI use has become common at the individual level, but companies are still in the early stages of embedding it into workflows. That gap explains why so many companies are excited about AI, but still unsure how to roll it out across the business. Southland Industries described a similar journey. Rather than launching a company-wide AI initiative, they started with a simple question:

“We didn't ask, 'What can AI do?' We asked, 'What's slowing our people down?' Don't start with AI. Start with frustration.”

- Dan Stokes, Director of MEP Estimating, Southland Industries

The lesson is simple: adoption doesn't begin with technology. It begins with solving real problems.