As the region continues to deliver large, complex and fast-tracked construction programmes, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly viewed as a critical tool for maintaining momentum and ensuring project viability.

Speaking during an Autodesk webinar hosted by MEED on 11 February, Eoin Nield, Senior Technical Solutions Leader for EMEA Emerging at Autodesk (pictured), said the industry must first ground its expectations in reality: “Today’s conversation is not about futuristic AI promises or hype. It is very much about addressing these pressures that are in the market through practical delivery.” 

He believes the challenge facing contractors is structural rather than technological. “The contractors that succeed will not simply be more digital; they will be more connected, and better able to use the data at their fingertips,” Eoin said. 

For AI to provide a genuine competitive advantage, it must be applied holistically rather than to isolated, siloed tasks.  He added, “If your data is fragmented, AI is going to accelerate that inconsistency. If your data is structured, AI creates an advantage.”

Practical applications of AI in 2026 are already delivering measurable value, particularly in the pre-construction phase, where pattern recognition can automate clash grouping. Instead of manually reviewing thousands of individual clashes, teams can now use AI to identify repetitive design bottlenecks. 

AI can be used as a tool to reduce coordination fatigue by enabling a more targeted approach to risk assessment. This efficiency extends to site safety through AI-based image capture, which can identify potential dangers and prevent accidents before they occur.

AI can also provide commercial insights by tracking project performance against forecasts in real time and issuing early warnings for change orders. Eoin adds, “A small percentage improvement across the board in the accuracy of forecasts can have a material impact when applied at scale.”

Success in the AI era requires a disciplined approach. This begins with standardised naming and clear data ownership, followed by a governance phase that enforces metadata consistency to enable live executive dashboards. 

Only when these layers are in place can a firm successfully implement intelligent workflows that layer predictive alerts on top of a trustworthy foundation. Eoin stressed the importance of the value equation, noting that “If any of these multipliers is zero, the outcome is zero”.

Ultimately, the transition to becoming a data-mature organisation is a leadership mandate, not a task for the IT department. He continued, “AI itself, and the introduction of these tools and the underpinning concepts, are very much a leadership topic. The real opportunity right now ... is not to chase AI, but to prepare for it properly.”

The ability to provide transparent, structured data will be the primary differentiator for contractors.

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