Contractors are finding use for artificial intelligence for a core construction process that often relied on spreadsheets and scattered documents.
At Consigli Construction in Milford, Massachusetts, one of the most immediate AI use cases are for job estimates. The contractor is using technology to better track reviews and offsets and help teams take that progress from initial planning to the field.
Here, Anthony Chiaradonna, CIO of Consigli Construction, talks to Construction Dive about how the company is building AI across its organization, where it’s adding the most value, and why having access to the technology is becoming an expectation for workers.
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Construction Immersion: Which team is responsible for using and managing AI tools on jobsites?
ANTHONY CHIARADONNA: Our innovation and VDC teams help bridge the gap between technology and its application in the workplace. They pilot new and emerging AI technologies to evaluate their use and validate whether or not they will add value to our projects.
Our field teams are closest to the work and best positioned to judge the effectiveness of a tool, so they are responsible for day-to-day use and how AI impacts our projects.
Our IT department plays a critical role in overseeing and governing AI across the enterprise, both inside and outside the workplace, to set standards for security, infrastructure, data integrity and more. As AI continues to scale, this type of oversight becomes as important as the technology itself.
What skills does this person or team need today that may not have been as important five years ago?
Historically, construction has been a very linear industry that has often been slow to change, where it has been easy to stick with what works and push to try something new for the next job.
Anthony Chiaradonna
Authorization granted by Consigli Construction
However, AI doesn’t work like that. It’s constantly evolving, which requires teams and people to evolve with it if they don’t want to be left behind.
With this rapidly changing landscape, the biggest skills shift we’ve seen within the industry isn’t on the technical side. It’s how teams are able to learn, adapt and manage change in real time without compromising quality, safety or schedule.
If you had to choose a phase, where are these tools that offer the most value today?
Right now we’re seeing an impact with the estimate.
It’s a phase that traditionally relied on spreadsheets, disconnected folders, documents and manual version control. Easy to see the decision, but harder to understand how or why we made it.
We can use AI to analyze this data and provide a clearer view of the assumptions, changes and trade-offs we made during the process so that we have a complete picture of how we made each determination. Not only does it help improve our internal processes, but it also gives owners a more complete narrative.
The real value AI drives to love is the improved continuity and collaboration we can bring to a project as it moves from concept to construction.
Any other trends you think are important to mention about AI in construction?
The financial cost of AI is becoming increasingly tangible.
As AI tools have moved from pilot phases to full integration, their use across an organization is quietly scaling. Consumption at this level no longer seems like a novelty and raises real questions for companies about capacity and how they plan to manage it.
Additionally, the industry workforce has come to expect access to AI tools as part of their standard technology resources. Teams no longer see AI as a bonus or an advantage.
