Insights / AI
The AI Readiness Conundrum: Turning Construction Data into Strategic Foresight
An expert panel from Microsoft, Kier, Multiplex, and Kori Construction debate whether AI represents a genuine step-change for the built environment — and what it actually takes to be ready.
6 May 2025
In a world accelerating at pace and fuelled by the potential of AI, the question for construction is whether we are facing another hype cycle — or a genuine step-change moment. In this Acumine webinar, an expert panel of digital, data, and organisational leaders from across the industry gathers to unpack what AI readiness actually looks like in practice, and crucially, the human and process factors that will make or break the promise of these technologies.
Setting the scene: what does AI readiness actually require?
Aaron Machej of Microsoft opens the session by grounding the conversation in fundamentals. Before any organisation can meaningfully unlock the value of AI, certain building blocks need to be in place — from robust data foundations to scalable cloud architecture and governance frameworks. The message is clear: AI readiness is not primarily a technology problem. It is a data quality, process discipline, and organisational maturity problem.
A live case study: Kier's Your Insights Mission Control
Ashley Dawson of Kier offers a candid account of their ongoing journey — what he describes as herding, harnessing, and harvesting intelligence from across a major construction business. He walks through their Your Insights Mission Control initiative, sharing practical examples of the approaches Kier deploy across Major Projects and the everyday challenges and opportunities they encounter. It is a grounded, honest perspective from an organisation actively navigating the gap between ambition and execution.
Panel discussion: the questions the industry is really asking
The panel — bringing together Aaron Machej, Ashley Dawson, Tom Loader of Multiplex, independent business change consultant Nelly Twumasi, Jordan Connachie of Kori Construction, and Federico Selmi, Acumine's Data Transformation Director — covers the questions that matter most to leaders trying to move forward:
How do you make the case for investment? The panel explores what resonates most with executive teams — cost savings, risk reduction, or futureproofing — and how to frame a business case that connects long-term strategy with near-term operational wins.
How much of AI readiness is actually a people problem? The consensus is: most of it. Cultural habits, organisational mindset, and the willingness of teams to work differently are consistently identified as the decisive factors — not the technology itself.
How do you move from fragmented data to unified insight? Construction runs on a vast ecosystem of niche applications, often with poor data normalisation. The panel is direct about the scale of this challenge and what realistic progress looks like: disciplined integration work, clear data ownership, and patience.
What does genuine progress look like? Rather than chasing AI for its own sake, the panel points to clear operational signals — teams making decisions from data they trust, reporting cycles shortening, and leadership shifting from retrospective review to early intervention.
What it takes to move forward
The session closes with a shared conviction: the organisations that will benefit most from AI are those investing now in the foundational work — data quality, process consistency, and the cultural conditions that make insight actionable. The technology will continue to evolve rapidly. The human and organisational readiness to use it well is the harder, slower, and more important work.