01
Estimating and preconstruction
Where AI is cutting real hours out of bids, and why most of the time was never in the estimating itself.
Free report, available now
Free report / Construction edition
The AI 30: why most contractors fail at AI, and what the winners do differently.
We interviewed 20+ construction executives, technology leaders, and industry veterans to answer one question: what separates the contractors experimenting with AI from the ones building a real advantage?
Get the full report
The PDF downloads the moment you hit the button.
30 featured leaders. One edition per industry.
Follow-up interviews close November 20, 2026. Profiles go in interview order.
Built from 20+ interviews. No vendor sponsors.
Why this report exists
The AI conversation is run by people who sell AI.
Every vendor at every trade show is selling AI. Almost nobody is showing what it actually did for a contractor your size.
The contractors pulling ahead started with one workflow, not a platform. The rest bought tools that ended up unused.
This report is the view from people who run jobs, not people who sell software.
What's inside
What the report covers.
02
The field
Daily reports, RFIs, and documentation: what's working on actual job sites and what never left the demo.
03
The data gap
The four blockers behind failed AI projects, and the readiness question almost nobody asks first.
Early findings
What we heard from the people shaping construction AI.
Finding 1
Most contractors are sitting on data they don't use
The gap isn't technology. It's knowing what to do with the information they already have.
Finding 2
The winners started with one process, not a platform
Forget the enterprise rollout. The leaders we interviewed started small and specific.
Finding 3
"AI-ready" doesn't mean what most people think
It's not about owning the latest tools. It's about how teams make decisions today.
Finding 4
The next 18 months will separate leaders from the rest
The people we spoke with agreed: the window to get ahead is open now and closing.
Voices in the report
Brian Gallagher
GroundBreak Carolinas
Author, Building Smarter with AI
Aarni Heiskanen
AEC Business
Construction technology analyst
Erin Khan
Construction AI
Industry strategist
Burcin Kaplanoglu
Construction innovation
Technology leader
Be in the next one
Shape the next construction edition.
- The finished edition before it goes public
- A featured profile among the 30, if you want one
- What your peers said about the same problems you're facing
- No pitch, no prep, on your schedule
Who we're talking to
- CEOs, presidents, and COOs of general and specialty contractors
- Preconstruction, estimating, and operations leaders
- Technology and innovation leaders inside contractors
- Companies with roughly 100 to 1,000 people
What José asks
- 01Where has AI actually taken hours out of bids, precon, or daily reports?
- 02What did you buy that nobody uses?
- 03What would have to be true for you to fund an AI project next year?
How it works
Three steps, about fifteen minutes of your time.
Step 1
Pick a time
Grab any open slot on José's calendar. Interviews run by phone or video.
Step 2
Talk for 15 minutes
Where AI is working in your operation, where it isn't, and what you'd want from it next.
Step 3
Get the edition first
Participants receive the finished report before anyone else, with their profile if they opted in.
Questions
Before you book.
Is the construction report really free?
Yes. Enter your email and the PDF downloads immediately. We are also running follow-up interviews for the next construction edition.
Is this a sales call in disguise?
No. It's an interview for the report. If something you say sounds like a fit for what OnlyAI does, José will tell you, and if not, you still get the finished edition.
Will my company be named?
Only if you want a featured profile. Otherwise your answers are used anonymously, and nothing is published without your sign-off.
What do I need to prepare?
Nothing. Fifteen minutes and an honest view of where AI is helping in your operation and where it isn't.
Available now
Thirty leaders. One honest picture of AI in construction.
Get the report now, or book a follow-up interview and help shape the next edition.
Download the report
Other editions: Manufacturing / Logistics
Next step
Rather just talk it through?
Thirty minutes with José. You bring the operation, we bring an honest read on where AI pays and where it doesn't.