I've been thinking a lot lately about how construction differs from other industries when it comes to technology adoption. While many tech companies thrive on the "move fast and break things" philosophy, construction operates on "measure twice, cut once." There's value in both approaches, but it also means we need to think differently about introducing AI tools to our teams. News hype around AI does not help the case with headlines about superintelligence and whole industries disappearing overnight. With this context, I often notice people are surprised when AI does not perform every possible task perfectly. The reality is that we are very much still in the "trust but verify" stage, which good contractors already know and practice.

Recent McKinsey research shows that while two-thirds of companies globally are using generative AI, there are many pitfalls when it comes to adoption. In construction specifically, with profit margins often below 5%, contractors can't afford failed technology experiments. What I've learned from working with contractors is that they need to actually see the value with their own eyes, not just be told about features.

Construction professionals exhibit what researchers call "status quo bias" - preferring familiar processes over uncertain new ones. This isn't stubbornness; it's pragmatism born from experience. Builders like new tools as much as any other professional, but we need to feel the value immediately. Field crews especially are often left wanting and historically have not been the focus of the tech industry.

The most successful implementations I've witnessed start small. With each small win, confidence gets built and leaves the user asking: what else can AI do?

In our industry, if technology isn't accessible via voice and text on a phone, most field crews will never adopt it. Construction workers already use smartphones for 92% of their daily work, spending an average of 1.5 hours per shift on their phones for work-related tasks. Our work takes places outside in inclement weather and often without a wifi connection. There are an increasing number of AI tools that are mobile-first which acknowledges this reality.

The breakthrough happening right now is voice-activated AI specifically designed for construction environments. New platforms like Benetics are using OpenAI's technology to create AI assistants that understand trade-specific terminology, work in over 30 languages, and function in noisy jobsite environments. Workers can use natural speech to log tasks, report completed work, flag issues, and assign follow-ups.

Instead of carrying clipboards and filling out forms, field crews can record voice notes that automatically generate professional reports, eliminating paperwork burden while improving accuracy. Additionally, voice AI helps support multilingual teams and can dramatically improve communication between workers from different backgrounds.

When 78% of field teams already use mobile devices to view project documents, and 74% use them for service dispatch and billing, voice AI isn't asking crews to learn something new - it's making what they already do faster and more efficient.

I recently spent time using Handoff AI, a construction estimating app that uses AI to generate professional estimates. It worked very well and produced estimates I'd be comfortable presenting to clients. The app leverages pricing data from Lowe's and Home Depot, making it especially valuable for contractors who source materials from big box retailers.

While I'm not sure that tools like Handoff will replace the sophisticated estimating software used by high-performance design-build firms or enterprise general contractors, that doesn't seem like who they are targeting. This tool would have been incredibly valuable when I was operating as a solo GC. Having AI generate a professional-looking estimate in minutes versus hours changes the game for small builders competing for projects.

The lesson here reflects our change management discussion: AI tools don't need to be perfect for everyone to be transformational for someone. Handoff AI fills a specific need for a specific market segment. That's exactly how construction AI adoption should work - targeted solutions for real problems.

As some readers already know, I use Chipp.ai for building AI tools. One recent project I've been developing is a safety meeting assistant that automatically generates safety meeting agendas based on current project phases, recent incidents, and upcoming weather conditions. The assistant is trained on OSHA regulations to ensure compliance while making the information accessible for daily use.

This is an example of a relatively simple AI assistant that can demonstrate immediate ROI. Every builder knows the importance of safety meetings, both to safeguard their crews and to mitigate liability in the case of an accident. But in my experience, these meetings are infrequent at best. Most small GCs don't have a dedicated safety officer and so the responsibility falls to the PM or site superintendent who have too many other obligations to focus on running these essential meetings and documenting them. This is just one example of many tasks that field crews tend to skip over. While folks in the back office have a wide array of software to help them do their job, site crews do not - which makes coordinating cross-functional teams that much more difficult. I empathize with the challenges of running a safe and effective jobsite and am excited to continue building tools that can improve daily work for teams in the field.

The reason I founded Coastal Craft AI was because I saw the need for technology built by experienced builders. Instead of using a generic AI assistant that might suggest irrelevant safety topics, this custom assistant knows to emphasize fall protection during framing phases and electrical safety during rough-in. It's AI that understands context.

Change management in construction requires a deep understanding of on-site dynamics. Whether it's voice AI that leverages the smartphones crews already use, estimating apps that save time, or custom assistants that understand industry-specific needs, the best construction AI feels like an extension of existing workflows, not a disruption to them.

The contractors who embrace these accessible, contextual AI tools early won't just work faster - they'll compete more effectively in a market where margins matter and efficiency wins projects.