Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere right now. Vendors are pushing solutions, the media is giving it extensive coverage, and every industry is trying to work out what it means for them. By Alex Richards, Director IT & Digital, BAM UK&I.

But construction is not ‘any industry’. We operate in a sector with margins so tight that we can’t afford to risk a failed silver bullet. Simply put, we don’t have the luxury of chasing every shiny new technology trend.

Why? Well, at BAM we deliver critical national infrastructure right across Ireland. We work on some major public infrastructure programmes, including roads, rail, hospitals and schools, where security and privacy are non-negotiable. So, whether it’s the M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy road or a new school in Greystones, it’s crucial that we take a security-first approach to all our projects.

If we’re going to make AI work for construction, it must earn its place at the table. That means specific use cases, not broad rollouts. It means we start with the fundamentals – identifying a tangible use case, building securely, then pushing innovation once we’ve proven the ROI.

For years, construction has been told that we’re behind on the digital front. As a relative newcomer to the industry, I’m not convinced. Construction isn’t anti-technology – it’s pragmatic. We invest where the return is clear, and we don’t throw millions at experiments simply because the tech sector says we should.

In other industries, a failed pilot can be written off as a rounding error. In construction, margins are tight enough that a significant failed investment can be terminal. The rule is simple: AI has to pay for itself – quickly and decisively – particularly in infrastructure markets like the UK and Ireland where delivery pressures are high.

The good news is that tightly defined AI use cases can deliver exactly that: automating back-office processes that swallow hours of manual effort and little brainpower, and reducing human error in workflows that should never rely on manual intervention in the first place.

These applications aren’t glamorous. They won’t feature in tech entrepreneurs’ keynote speeches. But they are the kinds of changes that actually move the needle for contractors – freeing up resources, improving consistency, and allowing project teams to focus on the complex delivery challenges that define major infrastructure programmes.

Then there’s the other side of the AI story – the one the industry still isn’t talking about loudly enough: security, risk, and supply chain exposure.

Increasingly, the risk doesn’t sit with Tier 1 contractors. Most large firms now have strong governance, data controls and cybersecurity capabilities in place. The challenge lies across the wider supply chain.

Digital security must be treated as a shared responsibility, much like health and safety. A small supplier with weak digital controls can compromise the entire ecosystem.

This isn’t theory – government agencies have been clear that supply chain security is now one of the construction sector’s biggest risk vectors across critical infrastructure programmes. As AI becomes embedded in more tools, often without warning, the exposure grows.

We work on strategically important infrastructure, often in spaces connected to national security. We don’t get to experiment recklessly. We don’t get to “move fast and break things.” There is no version of this future where innovation outruns privacy, governance or cybersecurity.

So, if we’re serious about using AI responsibly, the obligation sits with us.

We must lift the digital maturity of our supply chain, not just ourselves.

We cannot build the future of critical infrastructure in Ireland and elsewhere on insecure foundations, so it’s imperative we bring our digital supply chain up to our high standards across every market we operate in. This means we won’t always grant access for the next new shiny AI tool to be rolled out.

AI will transform construction. I believe that. But not through the hype pieces or the demos or the breathless announcements. It will transform construction through disciplined adoption, targeted investment, and a culture where security is not the afterthought; – it’s the starting point on projects across both the UK and Ireland.

If the industry wants a bold position on AI, here it is: Prioritise purposeful innovation over innovation for its own sake. Build secure, precise, ROI-driven capability, and make sure your digital supply chain is doing the same.

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