Artificial intelligence is beginning to move from hype to practical application on construction sites, but it is no silver bullet for resilience. Nick Gray, chief operating officer for the UK and Europe at Currie & Brown, argues that AI must sit on top of strong planning, clear strategy and human judgement if it is to help the sector navigate mounting uncertainty.
Currie & Brown’s global research suggests up to $2.5tn of construction pipeline value could be at risk in 2025 as projects are hit by volatility. In the firm’s report, *Building Certainty in an Era of Relentless Change*, more than 1,000 senior decision-makers reported that 32% of projects had been descoped in the past year, with a similar proportion delayed and one in four cancelled. On average, respondents said uncertainty had wiped 13.7% off their project pipeline value, equivalent to more than $2bn per organisation.
Against this backdrop, early adopters of AI are reporting a different experience. More than three-quarters of organisations that regularly use AI said they were confident in delivering their projects, and they were less likely to report major financial losses, cancellations or descoping. Gray notes that these businesses treat uncertainty as a manageable variable, testing decisions before committing and empowering teams to act quickly on new information.
He stresses that the real differentiator is not the software itself but the mindset and delivery model around it. When AI, automation and advanced analytics are embedded from the outset, they can improve visibility, sharpen forecasts and support better decisions at both project and portfolio level. However, this depends on teams understanding how to interpret data and apply insights, rather than treating digital tools as bolt‑ons.
Ironically, the organisations most exposed to disruption are often the slowest to invest in digital capability. Nearly half of non‑AI users in Currie & Brown’s research said uncertainty had delayed their adoption of new tools, and only 31% believed AI could help manage that uncertainty. Among regular AI users, confidence in its value rose to 65%, underlining a widening gap between digital leaders and laggards.
Cost is frequently cited as a barrier, but Gray points to cultural and organisational issues as equally significant. Legacy systems, unclear processes and a lack of digital skills can all stall progress, yet these are fundamentally leadership challenges. He argues that senior teams must define the problems they want technology to solve, set measurable outcomes and ensure that insights are integrated into day‑to‑day decision‑making.
For construction leaders, digital expertise is less important than creating the right conditions for technology to succeed. That means delivery models designed to flex as conditions change, governance that keeps decisions aligned with project goals, and investment in data literacy so that site and project teams can act on real‑time information. When this is in place, AI becomes a tool for control rather than a source of additional complexity.
Currie & Brown’s research shows that 73% of senior industry figures now believe AI and digital tools will be vital in managing future uncertainty. Gray cautions, however, that belief alone will not close the resilience gap. The priority for 2025 and beyond is to move from interest to implementation, building systems and cultures that can respond quickly to shocks.
He concludes that construction has always depended on robust planning and sound professional judgement, and that will not change. Technology cannot replace human expertise, but it can significantly enhance it for those who lead with clear purpose and act early. In a market where risk cannot be avoided, resilience will come from managing that risk well – and the opportunity to do so with the help of AI is already available.
