Builders’ merchants and construction suppliers are accelerating investment in AI, as they seek to modernise operations and stay competitive, according to new research. The study by eCommerce agency PushON, found that nearly half of businesses in the sector (49%) now see the rise of AI and automation as the most significant trend shaping their digital strategies, ahead of platform upgrades and product information management. The report, Building the Future: The Evolution of Construction eCommerce, reveals a sharp uptick in the use of AI to drive personalisation, forecasting and customer experience improvements. Nearly two-thirds of firms surveyed said they were already using AI to offer personalised recommendations to customers, with plans to expand further. Inventory forecasting and stock management are also undergoing transformation, with 40% of companies deploying AI to better predict demand and optimise supply chains. AI’s impact extends into customer service and marketing operations. Almost half of businesses (48%) report using AI chatbots to enhance responsiveness and support, while 46% are automating their marketing efforts to streamline operations. Enhanced site search functionality, using AI to better match customer queries with relevant products, has also emerged as a key investment area, with 49% of businesses investing in smarter search tools to drive better online engagement and conversion rates. Sam Rutley, managing director of PushON, said: “Our research shows that AI adoption is accelerating rapidly in the construction supply sector and is reshaping the future of digital commerce. Builders’ merchants and suppliers that embrace these technologies now will be better positioned to meet changing customer expectations and drive future growth, while those who delay risk falling behind.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

The partnership will enhance urban connectivity across three major cities in the UK this year, with Oxford as the first city of deployment, enabled by Dense Air’s neutral host platform Signify, the world leader in lighting, has partnered with Cornerstone, the UK’s leading mobile infrastructure services company, and Dense Air, a leading neutral host platform-as-a-service provider, to transform street lighting infrastructure into a platform of scalable multi-operator connectivity. This first-of-its-kind partnership will launch in Oxford, creating a shared network for mobile operators that leverage existing light points to seamlessly expand wireless coverage and capacity, enabling instant connectivity in dense urban areas. Using street lighting, Signify’s BrightSites solution provides connectivity for 4G and 5G, IoT applications such as CCTV cameras, Internet services via Wi-Fi, and other high bandwidth applications, eliminating the need for additional infrastructure and resetting the economic model on how mobile operators deliver service.  Dense Air’s multi-operator cellShare® platform enables Cornerstone to provide neutral host services to UK mobile network operators, adhering to Joint Operator Technical Specifications (JOTS). The technology optimizes network capacity by leveraging small cell technology specifically designed for public spaces. Khalid Aziz, SVP and Managing Director of BrightSites by Signify: “By harnessing the power of 5G and IoT through our lighting technology, we not only illuminate streets but also pave the way for a more connected and sustainable future. In partnership with Cornerstone and Dense Air, Signify will enable our partners to tap into existing lighting infrastructure as a wireless network, bringing a new era of smart city solutions.” Martin Reeves, Chief Executive of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “These new small cells offer an excellent connectivity solution, and it’s exciting to see a sustainable option that works in both urban and rural areas. Enhanced digital infrastructure supports the council’s strategic objectives by providing environmental, economic, and social benefits. Small cells, being only the size of a shoebox, minimise street clutter and seamlessly integrate into our surroundings.” Miranda van Gestel, Chief Customer Officer at Cornerstone: “At Cornerstone, we are leading the way in transforming the UK’s digital landscape with innovative solutions such as our Small Cell Coverage Solution. By integrating state-of-the-art technology into existing infrastructure, we’re not only addressing the growing demand for seamless connectivity but also empowering local authorities, MNOs, and communities to thrive in the digital age. Our approach ensures faster, more sustainable deployments that enhance everyday life, drive economic growth, and set the standard for smart city innovation.” As the world leader in lighting, Signify is well-placed to transform existing light points into city-wide wireless network grids, enabling seamless connectivity at scale. Starting in Oxford, the project will later deploy across three major cities in 2025, setting the foundation for future expansion and innovation across the UK in the field of smart city infrastructure. Learn more about BrightSites by Signify at https://www.signify.com/global/innovation/brightsites. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Taylor Woodrow, building on its long civil engineering heritage, is pioneering artificial intelligence technology in the plant sector following a full site-based trial of the UK’s first autonomous excavators. At the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Sheffield a dedicated demonstration site was set up so that the Taylor Woodrow innovation team and its partners Gravis Robotics could put the intelligent machine through its paces. The autonomous excavator successfully passed a series of exercises including autonomous excavation to various depths in differing ground conditions, real-time LiDAR capture of the excavation, emergency safe stop as well as autonomous manoeuvring. The project was overseen and verified by experienced site managers, engineers and machine operators treating it as a real project. All the excavation tasks were taken from a real, upcoming scheme to robustly evaluate how it would perform if deployed there, and it worked! This trial was about more than just an excavator without an operator in the cab. This is about supporting the development of physical AI, the new technologies that will allow Taylor Woodrow to transform how physical work is done. Increasing inclusivity, productivity, safety, and accuracy whilst reducing environmental impact and waste. Taylor Woodrow is proud to have helped Gravis Robotics conduct early testing, helping to shape the v2 solution that was demonstrated at Bauma with a number of their partners and where attendees saw a video of the trial at the AMRC that showed how the Anywhere Autonomy approach developed by Gravis provides in-cabin copilot and remote autonomy. The next step is for the SV100-7 to go live at Taylor Woodrow’s project at Manchester Airport. Phil Skegg, managing director of Taylor Woodrow said: “Over the last 10 years our industry safety record has not improved, and our productivity has declined. As an industry around 20% of the cost of what we build can be attributed to not getting it right first time (GIRI). We believe that increasing the mechanisation and automation of the tasks we undertake on site will help address these problems, removing people from danger, being more productive and improving quality of workmanship. Computer controlled machines could be the way forward and as an industry leader we want to be an early adopter and trial what is available. This is an exciting first step made possible by our partnership with Gravis Robotics supported by Yanmar Construction Equipment and AMRC.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

A New Era for Project Delivery For decades, AECOM, a Fortune 500 company, has led global infrastructure innovation, delivering complex projects in transportation, energy, water, and sustainability. As a trusted leader worldwide, AECOM tackles some of the world’s toughest challenges—on time, on budget, and with a growing focus on sustainability.  Yet, like the entire infrastructure industry, AECOM has long faced a persistent challenge: decisions are only as good as the data available, and in project management, that data often arrives too late. Reports take weeks to compile and analyse, meaning project teams operate in a constant state of lag. By the time a project director gets an update, conditions on-site have likely already changed.  “We used to operate on monthly cycles, with lock weeks where data couldn’t move, and reports were already outdated by the time they were read.”  —Richard Newey, Head of Risk & Integrated Controls, AECOM  In an industry where delays cost millions and sustainability targets grow more ambitious, relying on outdated information is no longer an option. To solve this, AECOM partnered with Nodes & Links to revolutionise project insights, delivering real-time intelligence to clients.  While AECOM sought a partner to solve this challenge, Nodes & Links sought an industry leader to help drive real AI-powered change in project controls. AECOM was that partner.  “The future doesn’t just happen—you have to forcefully create it. AI in project management is only inevitable if we make it happen. We needed a partner delivering daily, guiding us on what’s needed to make AI genuinely useful to everyone.”  —Greg Lawton, CEO, Nodes & Links  With AECOM’s deep industry expertise and commitment to innovation, this partnership ensures Nodes & Links’ AI delivers real-world, actionable impact, helping teams make better, faster decisions when it matters most.  Why Are Traditional Project Controls Not Enough? The problem wasn’t just the data lag… It was the ripple effects that followed:  “With Nodes & Links, we are no longer making decisions on information that is four weeks or six weeks old.”  —Richard Newey, AECOM  Delays don’t just mean lost time; they waste opportunities. The ability to identify risks before they escalate and adjust strategy in real time separates high-performing projects from those struggling to keep up.  The Solution: AI-Powered Project Controls in Real Time AECOM turned to Nodes & Links to eliminate the delays in turning raw project data into actionable information. Instead of waiting weeks for reports, teams now have near-live project visibility, allowing faster, smarter decision-making.  “We’re now able to do things at a fraction of the speed we were five years ago—whether it’s analysing critical paths, sub-critical paths, or driving decision-making.”  —Richard Newey, AECOM  With AI handling the heavy lifting, AECOM’s project teams can now:  “AI and automation are transforming how we deliver projects. This technology isn’t just about efficiency, it’s about redefining how we approach decision-making.”   —Richard Newey, AECOM  But the biggest breakthrough came in an area where project teams have long struggled to integrate real-time insights: sustainability.  Beyond Cost & Time: Bringing Carbon into the Equation For decades, project teams have made decisions based on two primary constraints: cost and time. But what about carbon?  Traditionally, sustainability has been measured and reported on after the fact, making it nearly impossible to adjust course in real time. Now, Nodes & Links enables AECOM to track carbon impact live, alongside cost and schedule trade-offs, without extra effort from teams.  “For the first time in our industry, we’re not just talking about sustainability, we’re actively using data and AI to drive decision-making around carbon reduction.”   —Richard Newey, Head of Risk & Integrated Controls, AECOM  Nodes & Links’ AI seamlessly integrates carbon insights into existing project schedules, providing an instant view of a project’s carbon profile without requiring additional steps or inputs.  With carbon now embedded into project controls, teams can ask new, critical questions:  Carbon is no longer separate—it’s at the heart of project strategy.  “AECOM is transforming how clients manage carbon. Real-time AI-driven insights help them make sustainable decisions at the right time, not months too late. Partnering with Nodes & Links has made sustainability an actionable priority, not just a goal.”  –Nina Palmieri, Project Director, AECOM  A Partnership Establishing A New Standard for Project Controls The partnership between AECOM and Nodes & Links isn’t just about adopting AI, it’s about setting a new standard for how major infrastructure projects are managed.  “We can’t predict exactly what will happen on every project, but what we can do is ensure project teams have the right data at the right time to make the best possible decisions. AI allows us to do that at a scale and speed we’ve never seen before.”  – Richard Newey, Head of Risk & Integrated Controls, AECOM   The future of project controls is here.   And with AI at the core, it’s smarter, faster, and more sustainable than ever before.  Watch the announcement video here: Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Around half of construction professionals now use AI at work – and almost all of them say it’s been a force for good.  New research from The Access Group shows that 52% of construction professionals surveyed use the technology, which saves them, on average, just under three hours a week. Around 94% believe it has positively impacted their workplace, and 83% say it’s improved standards.  The Access Group surveyed employees in 12 industries and professions – and found that half use AI today. Tech professionals are leading the way at 74%, then HR at 68%, while those in the not-for-profit, and health and social care sectors ranked lowest at 29% and 30% respectively.  Construction sector employees cited reduced workloads as AI’s biggest benefit, followed by cost savings and improved productivity. Top five benefits of AI in construction: ChatGPT is the most popular AI tool, used by around 57% of respondents. Just over 65% also say generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, have helped to relieve stress or anxiety about their jobs.  Alex Boury, General Manager at Access Construction, part of The Access Group, said:  “Tools like ChatGPT can help speed up routine tasks like writing emails. But advanced tools, including construction-specific ERP systems, such as Access Coins, use AI and big-data processing to securely analyse huge amounts of data to help with cost forecasting, CVR and resource allocation. AI has the potential to be transformative to the sector, driving better decisions and providing insights to help companies build better across the sector.” However, the survey also uncovered a number of potentially worrying trends among construction professionals.  Around 41% admit they often use AI to complete tasks they were meant to do themselves, and 38% say they use the technology to get ahead in a way they wouldn’t tell their boss about. Over two-fifths (43%) also have concerns about data security, and 30% highlighted confidentiality.  Marko Perisic, Chief Product and Engineering Officer at The Access Group, said:  “AI has taken off in a way that few people could have imagined – but left unchecked it can lead to some employees using it irresponsibly. Sometimes this is down to lack of training about the potential security risks but, according to our survey, a high proportion use it covertly to do their job for them, which is unfair on their colleagues and customers.  “Construction teams need a vendor who offers the highest data protection standards. Our new AI experience, Access Evo, encourages employees to innovate, while giving them peace of mind that all information is stored in a secure and private environment and not used in other open source AI systems. Approved AI tools like these, underpinned by clear and regularly-updated policies and training, can help everyone to deliver a better standard of service, and get ahead in their careers without compromising company data.” The full research can be found here www.theaccessgroup.com/en-gb/evo/insights.  For more information about Access Evo, The Access Group’s new AI solution for businesses, visit www.theaccessgroup.com/en-gb/evo Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

The UK’s artificial intelligence (AI) sector is buzzing with momentum, attracting an impressive £200 million in private investment daily since the current government took office last summer. This infusion of more than £8.3 million per hour is driving the government’s ambitious Plan for Change to strengthen the economy’s foundations and position the UK as a global AI powerhouse. In just 48 hours following the publication of the AI Opportunities Action Plan, the UK secured over £14 billion in investment and commitments for thousands of new jobs. This surge follows £25 billion in data centre investments unveiled at the Global Investment Summit earlier this year, pushing total AI-related investments to £39 billion over six months. Building the UK’s AI Future Global companies are flocking to support the UK’s AI vision. CoreWeave, a US-based cloud computing firm, is establishing its first UK data centres in Crawley and London Docklands. Using cutting-edge NVIDIA technology, CoreWeave is enhancing Britain’s compute capacity—an essential component of the government’s AI strategy. The company’s £1.75 billion investment will also include its European headquarters in London. Homegrown success stories are riding the wave too. London-based Synthesia, a leader in AI-generated video content, recently reached a valuation of $2.1 billion after a successful funding round. This new investment will support its ambitious expansion, solidifying its status as one of the UK’s top AI firms. A New Hub for Innovation To foster collaboration and innovation, Tech Nation, Merantix, and Onfido Founder Husayn Kassai are launching a dedicated AI Hub in London’s Farringdon. Opening next month, the hub will serve as a central meeting point for AI innovators, offering opportunities for partnerships and advancements in the field. Infrastructure Investment Boom The government’s focus on AI-friendly infrastructure has attracted commitments from major players: Boosting Jobs and Opportunities Global firms are doubling down on their UK presence. French AI leader Mistral has announced its first office outside France, located in London, with plans to double its UK workforce by 2025. Meanwhile, Kyndryl, the world’s largest IT infrastructure provider, is creating 1,000 AI-related jobs in Liverpool as part of a new tech hub initiative. A Unified Vision for Growth Prime Minister and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle have committed to harnessing AI to drive economic growth and improve living standards. The AI Opportunities Action Plan, authored by AI entrepreneur Matt Clifford, includes 50 strategic initiatives aimed at making the UK the top global destination for AI firms. “This week marks a new chapter—putting AI at the heart of our economic transformation,” said Peter Kyle. “With more than £14 billion in fresh investment and thousands of new jobs, it’s clear that the UK is becoming a magnet for AI innovation and growth.” The UK’s AI journey is just beginning, and with a laser focus on attracting investment, scaling businesses, and spreading opportunities across the nation, the future of AI in Britain looks brighter than ever. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals