Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1543322
New Research Shows High Contractor Optimism for AI in Construction A Dodge Construction Network and CMiC report finds 87% of contractors believe artificial intelligence will meaningfully transform their business despite low current adoption rates. A new research report from Dodge Construc- tion Network (Dodge), in partnership with CMiC, indicates that contractors are highly optimistic about the transformative poten- tial of artificial intelligence (AI) on the construction industry. e report, "AI for Contractors," found that 87% of contractors believe AI will have a meaningful impact on their business. e research suggests the industry is nearing a critical point for technol- ogy adoption. "With high awareness, strong interest, and powerful validation from early adopters, con- tractors appear poised for significant expansion in their use of AI-enabled tools in meaningful ways," said Steve Jones, Senior Di- rector of Industry Insights Analytics at Dodge. Contractor Expectations and Early Results According to the study, contractors anticipate AI will shi project managers from administrative roles to more strategic positions. Key expectations include: • 85% expect to spend less time on repetitive tasks. • Over 70% believe AI will enable better deci- sion-making • 75% look for AI to help them learn from histor- ical project data. While current AI usage is low — fewer than 15% of contractors use most of the 23 AI-enhanced functions studied — early adopters report positive results. More than 70% of contractors already using AI-enabled tools find them highly effective compared to previous methods. Top AI Capabilities and Readiness Contractors showed strong interest in several AI functions for project and company management. For project management, top interests included automat- ed constructability anal- ysis (81%) and intelligent permit submission (80%). For company manage- ment, automated contract creation (92%) and intel- ligent bid-no-bid decision support (79%) were highly valued. Organizational readiness for AI is growing, with more than half of sur- veyed companies actively exploring the technology. e report found that 40% have allocated a dedicated budget to AI and 38% are creating implementation teams. Data Quality and Other Obstacles Despite the optimism, significant challenges re- main. e primary obstacle identified is the quality of data within contractor or- ganizations, with only 26% of contractors rating their current data quality as high. Other major concerns in- clude data accuracy (57%) and security (54%). More than one-third of respon- dents also expressed worry about implementation costs and internal resistance to new technology. "We de- signed this study to look at the use of AI in the digital tools already deployed by contractors because that may offer the best solution to the challenge of data quality," said Jones. www.forconstructionpros.com Steve Jones Senior Director of Industry Insights Analytics 36 IDA Universal Q1 2026 Nuts & Bolts Continued from Pg 34