‘Hey ChatGPT, Finish This Building...’: A Worker‐Led AI Agenda for the Construction Industry

Summary

Though AI is incapable of finishing construction projects, it is being rapidly integrated across the construction industry, from project planning and execution, to monitoring. On construction sites, AI takes on the role of overseeing site conditions, equipment and materials through various devices and systems. AI and robotics are poised to automate certain tasks currently performed by construction workers, such as bricklaying or demolition. What is needed is an agenda that recognises frontline workers as central players in assessing organisational capacity for AI, with opportunities to provide insight about the training or institutional policy needed before a deployment. Additionally, a worker‐oriented approach could lead to incremental improvements in AI systems and ensure that AI complements human labour rather than displaces or degrades it. This shift highlights the importance of recognising the invisible labour involved in integrating AI and prioritising frontline workers who interact directly with these systems.