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 is for job estimates. The contractor is using the technology to better track revisions and tradeoffs and help teams carry that progress from early planning into the field.
Here, Anthony Chiaradonna, chief information officer at Consigli Construction, talks to Construction Dive about how the firm structures AI across its organization, where it’s delivering 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 DIVE: Which team is responsible for using and managing AI tools on jobsites?
ANTHONY CHIARADONNA: Our innovation and VDC teams help bridge the gap between the technology and its jobsite application. They pilot new and emerging AI technologies to evaluate their use and validate whether or not they will deliver 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 oversight and governance of AI companywide, both on and off the jobsite, to set standards for security, infrastructure, data integrity and more. As AI continues to scale, that kind of oversight becomes just as important as the technology itself.
What skills does that person or team need today that perhaps weren’t as critical 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 off trying something new to the next job.
Anthony Chiaradonna
Permission granted by Consigli Construction
However, AI does not operate 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 that rapidly changing landscape, the biggest skills shift we’ve seen within the industry is not on the technical side. It’s with how well teams are able to learn, adapt and manage the change in real-time without compromising on quality, safety or schedule.
If you had to pick one phase, where are these tools delivering the most value today?
We are seeing an impact right now with estimating.
It’s a phase that traditionally has depended 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 that data and provide clearer insights into the assumptions, changes and tradeoffs we made during the process so that we have a full picture of how we made every determination. Not only does it help improve our internal processes, but it also provides owners with a more complete narrative.
The real value AI drives for estimating is the enhanced continuity and collaboration we’re able to 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 more tangible.
As AI tools have moved from pilot phases into full integration, their usage across an organization is scaling quietly. Consumption at that level no longer looks like novelty and it raises real questions for companies about capacity and how they plan to manage it.
Additionally, the industry workforce has started to expect access to AI tools as part of their standard technology resources. Teams are no longer viewing AI as a bonus or a perk.
