What to expect from AI in construction in 2025

As we look ahead to 2025, what becomes clear is that artificial intelligence, in all its forms, is already changing our lives. Organically embedded into our phones, televisions, our smart speakers, the future of AI is already here. While scepticism around the uses – and indeed misuses – of data are in some instances founded, we must acknowledge AI’s potential, not as an independent entity but as a conduit for our growth.

Stepping into the new year brings with it new challenges and opportunities to explore the ways in which our lives, and jobs, can change. From admin agents to improved energy efficiency in buildings, I want to explore the year ahead through the eyes of AI.

Assistants and agents

Co-Pilot, Gemini and others are already helping businesses with tasks varying from admin, managing emails and diaries to taking meeting notes and creating lists of actions. But in 2025 this will start to go further.

AI agents, such as Microsoft’s new offerings, are trained to handle tasks such as project management, email sorting, and inventory monitoring. These agents represent AI “doing things with you or for you”, and this year they will become central to corporate workflows, even if not directly within your business.

Agents can understand your inventory, automatically preparing purchase orders and prompting you when needed. In 2025, we will see further integration of Agents into all aspects of the corporate world.

Automation and robotics

When it comes to the construction and design sector, automation is already a consistent player throughout a project’s lifecycle. We will continue to see growth in automation as more projects choose a design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) approach to design and delivery.

Traditionally, DfMA has been used in sectors such as car manufacturing and consumer products, as a necessary tool for producing high-quality products in large quantities. Now, we see it being used across the construction industry, as the focus on efficiency and quality accelerates.

AI should and will support us in our careers, working with us to achieve optimal outcomes

Digital, automated platforms within DfMA approaches are reducing waste and time, and as we move into 2025, these technologies will focus on added value through digital solutions. At WSP, that is exactly what our kit of parts platforms are doing; which are made up of digitally designed components that can be used across complex projects.

With this, though, comes the fear that automation will replace humans and therefore jobs. While there will be an inevitable shift in job structure, it is unlikely that there will be a loss.

Instead, AI should and will support us in our careers, working with us to achieve optimal outcomes. As such, 2025 should see greater emphasis on training and learning opportunities around automation and robotics, so that employees feel confident in their ability to work with AI.

On-site

AI and automation will also play a key role on-site with the adoption of smart site monitoring and logistics technologies. These advanced technologies can enable companies to oversee and manage construction in real time using visual identification to monitor safe and unsafe activities.

Already able to identify adequate use of PPE, interaction between people and vehicles, and more, their sophistication is set to increase, able to monitor material quantities, track progress and generate reports. This, in combination with AI Agents, has the potential to transform how we monitor sites, from safety and progress to emergencies and supplies and respond in real-time, communicating effectively and improving efficiency.

Energy and data centres

It is important to remember that, for these predictions to become a reality, they must first be powered. As demand for data and AI increases, demand for these centres will surely grow; procuring the equipment and material to build them at speed will remain a challenge through next year and beyond.

While their electricity demand is still small within the global energy context, it has increased in recent years and is expected to rise further as more are constructed.

The rise in AI’s energy demands is driving exploration into innovative solutions such as mini nuclear reactors while also accelerating renewable energy projects. The increased need will prompt infrastructure development to keep up with this trend.

The relationship between AI and our energy system is cyclical; while it requires energy for its use, our clean energy transition can be accelerated by adopting AI

If we are to keep up with our electricity consumption and demand, we need to ensure our infrastructure can withstand it. This year will therefore see an increase in energy-related projects to bolster our supply, with renewable energy production at the heart of this.

Yet, the relationship between AI and our energy system is cyclical; while it requires energy for its use, our clean energy transition can be accelerated by adopting AI, enabling us to map data generated by the energy system to forecast demand and monitor our infrastructure to better prepare for extreme weather.

Sustainability

The relationship between AI and sustainability is no clearer than in the design and construction of buildings. Smart buildings will soon generate real-time performance data that will enable efficient design adjustments, supporting more sustainable construction and operations.

New design tools will only become more sophisticated. For example, our tool at WSP, Daisy, uses parametric design, machine learning and multi-objective optimisation to create a catalogue of thousands of potential building designs.

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This catalogue contains the results of individual building simulations, allowing simultaneous comparison of multiple KPIs including building embodied carbon and energy use intensity. As we move into 2025, the use of this technology will become even more integrated into design, ensuring that the most sustainable outcome is achieved, every time. 

AI is here to stay. As its capabilities evolve, training and digital integration will empower the workforce to deliver sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective projects in the years to come.

Diego Padilla-Philipps is director of decarbonisation and innovation for building structures at WSP