BRG Survey Finds Construction AI Spending Rarely Cuts Staff

BRG said in a press release that 68% of surveyed construction and development organizations spent at least $250,000 on AI over the past two years, while 37% spent at least $1 million. The firm surveyed more than 100 industry executives in July 2026, with most respondents based in North America.

Only 11% reported cutting staff because of AI, while 18% added staff in some areas. More than half changed their use of outside vendors, consultants or contractors, 46% changed team structures and collaboration, and 38% retrained existing employees.

Planning and feasibility was the most common use, cited by 58% of respondents and 80% of builders. AI was also used during construction by 49%, before construction by 46%, in business operations by 43%, and after construction by 40%. Only 15% said AI was fully integrated across projects and operations.

Respondents reported double digit cost savings across several functions, but used different measures to assess returns. Financial metrics were the main measure for 37%, operational measures for 29%, and usage or adoption measures for about one quarter. Another 6% did not evaluate return on investment.

BRG is an advisory firm offering economics, disputes, corporate finance and performance improvement services. The figures are self reported by survey respondents.