State of AI in Construction Project Management 2026
Jamie Cerexhe
Co-founder, CTO
Published:
Jul 23, 2026
The second annual Mastt research report on how AI is reshaping construction project management. Surveyed construction professionals globally between March and June 2026.
AI is reshaping construction faster than anything I have seen in this industry. A year ago, it sat on the edge of projects, something teams were curious about but few relied on. Today, it is part of the daily work, and moving quicker than most of us expected.
Project managers have gone from asking whether AI belongs in their day to how far to take it. That is real progress, but only the start. What they reach for today is still general-purpose; few use AI built for construction, and almost no one is working with agents yet. Closing that gap is the real work ahead.
What comes next is AI designed for how construction actually runs, wired into project data and trusted enough to sit alongside the team. That is what we are building at Mastt, for every team ready to move past experimenting and into using agents as a real part of how projects get delivered.
At a Glance
Sentiment is firmly positive and still climbing, now 67.6% favorable with skeptics down nearly a third since 2025.
AI has become a daily habit, with nearly half using it every day and 72% at least weekly.
Reporting is the top priority, named by 84% ahead of document and cost work.
Trust in AI's accuracy is now the biggest barrier, while cost and privacy have faded.
Few fear replacement, with 58% unworried and the same share already building AI skills.
Agents are the next frontier, used by just 9% today but planned by 46%.
Given ten hours back, most PMs would take on more work, not less.
Global AI Statistics in Construction Project Management (2026)
A year on from our first State of AI in Construction report, the numbers have moved fast. The AI in project management market has more than doubled in forecast size, global construction spending has climbed past $17 trillion, and AI in construction itself sits among the fastest-growing software categories tracked by industry analysts.
Here's a global snapshot of AI in construction project management in 2026:
The market is forecast to grow at a 21.77% CAGR, up from the prior 17.3% estimate.
That forecast has more than doubled since the 2023 target of $5.7B by 2028.
Gartner expects AI to run 80% of project management tasks by 2030.
Spending is set to rise from $16.45T in 2025 to $21.73T by 2030 at a 4.9% CAGR.
Inside the 2026 Mastt Survey: AI in Construction Project Management
Artificial intelligence has moved from emerging technology to an everyday tool. Across industries, it is automating manual work and speeding up decisions, and construction is no exception, with the pace picking up since our first State of AI report in 2025.
The bigger question is how deeply AI has taken hold in construction project management. Which tools are PMs actually using day-to-day, where do they see it adding the most value, and what is still holding adoption back?
To answer that, Mastt surveyed 108 leading construction project management professionals across the globe between March and June 2026, from project owners and developers to government bodies, major consultancies, and boutique firms.
This report lays out what we found on AI adoption, sentiment, benefits, barriers, and where the technology is headed next.
Q1 - Construction PMs are warming up to AI, and the skeptics are going quiet
We asked construction project professionals how they feel about AI's growing role in the profession. A year ago, the industry was cautiously optimistic. In 2026, optimism has continued to grow.
How do you feel about AI's growing role in construction PM?
67.6% lean positive. Only 5.6% are still worried about AI in their role.
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1.9%
3.7%
3.7%
23.1%
39.8%
27.8%
Pretty Scared
Skeptical
Cautious
Neutral
Optimistic
Super Excited
How do you feel about AI in construction PM
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
67.6% of respondents rated AI positively.
Just 9.3% of respondents rated AI negatively, and positive responses outnumber negative ones by more than 7 to 1.
23.1% of respondents are neutral, still forming a view.
Overall sentiment leans clearly positive, and the direction is still up.
Key findings on AI sentiment
Sentiment keeps tipping positive. Since 2025, skeptics have shrunk by almost a third while more respondents rate AI positively.
Most PMs are optimistic but not yet zealots. More PMs are more optimistic but not yet super excited about AI. They see the upside, but they have not stopped seeing the risks.
The neutral middle is the group to watch. Nearly 1 in 4 respondents are still on the fence. Their views over the next year will help shape how quickly AI adoption deepens across the profession.
Q2 - Construction PMs aren't just trying AI anymore, half of them use it every day
We asked construction PMs how often they reach for AI, which tools they use, and whether they have started using AI agents. Most now use it regularly, and clear favorites are emerging among the tools they reach for.
How often are you using AI in your work?
72.2% use AI at least weekly. Only 8.3% never touch it.
30%
20%
10%
0%
29.6%
18.5%
24.1%
13.9%
5.6%
8.3%
Multiple times/day
Daily
A few times per week
A few times per month
Rarely
Never
How often are you using AI
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
48.1% of respondents use AI daily or more often.
72.2% of respondents use AI at least weekly.
Only 8.3% of respondents have never used AI in their work.
In the 2025 report, 52.4% of respondents reported using AI at least once in the past 12 months.
💡 AI has moved from trial to habit. Compared to the 2025 survey, respondents have shifted from a slim majority who had tried AI at least once to nearly half now using it every day. The question is no longer whether respondents use AI, but how often.
Which AI tools have you used for work in the past 3 months?
ChatGPT dominates at 66.7%. Half of PMs also use Microsoft Copilot.
ChatGPT
66.7%
Microsoft Copilot
50.9%
Claude
34.3%
Google Gemini
30.6%
Other
9.3%
AI features inside Mastt
8.3%
Haven't used any AI tools
8.3%
AI inside Procore / Autodesk
3.7%
Specialist AI (Togal, etc.)
0.9%
0%25%50%75%
Which AI tools have you used in the past 3 months
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
ChatGPT is the most-used AI tool, reaching 66.7% of respondents
Microsoft Copilot follows at 50.9%, likely supported by enterprise Microsoft 365 rollouts
Claude and Google Gemini sit roughly level, each used by around a third of respondents
Only 3.7% use AI features inside Procore, Autodesk, or similar tools
💡 Respondents turn to general-purpose AI far more readily than the AI built into their construction software. Tools like ChatGPT reach 66.7% of respondents while construction-specific AI stays under 10%, a gap of about eight to one and one of the widest in the survey.
Are you using AI agents yet?
Only 9.3% use AI agents today. 46.3% plan to start next.
9.3%
Using AI agents today
46.3%
Planning to start using them
9.3%
Using AI agents now
21.3%
Know them, won't hand tasks over
23.1%
Don't know what an AI agent is
Are construction PMs using AI agents
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
9.3% of construction PMs who responded are using AI agents today.
46.3% are planning to, the single largest group.
Another 21.3% know what agents are but are not yet ready to hand over tasks.
23.1% are not yet familiar with the term.
Agent adoption is still at an early stage in construction.
💡 Interest in AI agents runs well ahead of real use. Most of the hesitant already understand agents, so the barrier is trust in handing over tasks, not knowledge. Adoption will move only as fast as that trust builds.
Q3 - Reporting is where PMs most want AI to help
We asked construction PMs which parts of the job would benefit most from AI, and let them pick every area that applied. The answer was almost unanimous on one: Reporting.
Where could AI add the most value to your work?
Reporting leads at 84.3%. Data-heavy tasks dominate the top of the list.
Reporting
84.3%
Document Management
69.4%
Cost Mgmt & Forecasting
65.7%
Contract Administration
63.9%
Scheduling
62.0%
Cost Estimation & Takeoffs
59.3%
Risk / Issue / Opportunity
54.6%
Payments & Claims
53.7%
Compliance & Regulatory
50.0%
Procurement & Tendering
49.1%
Change Orders / Variations
44.4%
Stakeholder / Client Comms
39.8%
Quality Assurance & Defects
36.1%
Safety Management
32.4%
Other
5.6%
0%25%50%75%100%
Where could AI add the most value
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
Every area in the list scored above 32%, meaning there is no part of construction project management that PMs see as untouched by AI.
Key findings on where AI helps most
84.3%
Reporting comes first
Reporting is the task construction PMs most want AI to take on, and it ranks as the strongest single result in the survey. It is also one of the most repetitive and time-consuming parts of the role.
66-69%
Paperwork and cost work follow
Document management and cost work fill the top half of the list. These are the tasks built on reading, comparing, summarizing, calculating and reconciling.
32-40%
People-heavy work lags
Safety, QA and stakeholder communication score lower, but not low. Across the list, analytical work consistently outscores hands-on or people-facing tasks.
>60%
A clear top tier
Reporting, document management, cost management and contract administration all scored above 60%, a clear majority view among construction PMs.
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
Q4 - PMs are saving real time with AI, and they expect more
We asked construction PMs how much of their typical workday AI could speed up or eliminate, and how much time it actually saves them on a given task. AI is already giving time back on the tasks it touches, and most think it could take on much more of the day.
How much of your workday could AI speed up?
75.9% see AI cutting at least 11% of their day. 1 in 9 (11.1%) aren't sure yet.
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
13.0%
38.9%
29.6%
6.5%
0.9%
11.1%
0 to 10%
11 to 25%
26 to 50%
51 to 75%
More than 75%
Not sure
How much of your workday could AI speed up
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
75.9% of respondents believe AI could speed up or eliminate at least 11% of their typical workday.
37.0% of respondents see AI taking out 26% or more of their workday.
Only 0.9% of respondents believe AI will eliminate more than 75% of the work.
11.1% of respondents are not yet sure how much of their workday AI could take out.
💡 Respondents expect AI to reshape the workday, not take it over. They see it absorbing the routine work while the judgment stays with them. So the gains show up as added capacity, not a smaller role.
How much time does AI actually save you?
61% of PMs save 10%+ of their time with AI. Only 7.4% save nothing or lose time.
More than 50%
16.7%
25 to 50%
22.2%
10 to 25%
22.2%
Less than 10%
12.0%
None
2.8%
Costs me time
4.6%
0%5%10%15%20%25%
How much time AI actually saves construction PMs
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
61.1% of respondents save at least 10% of time on a task when they use AI.
38.9% of respondents save 25% or more of their time.
16.7% of respondents save more than half of their time.
7.4% of respondents report no benefit, or say AI sometimes costs them more time.
Nearly 1 in 5 respondents (19.4%) have not measured the time AI saves them.
💡 Most respondents save real time when they use AI, yet nearly one in five have never measured how much. The gains are real but largely untracked, so their true value stays hidden from the teams already relying on them.
Q5 - More than half of PMs see AI slowly changing their work
We asked construction PMs whether their day-to-day work has changed in the last 12 months because of AI. The answer points to a profession in transition, with the majority reporting at least some change to how they work.
Has AI changed your day-to-day work in the last 12 months?
CHANGED · 52.8%
NOT CHANGED · 45.4%
Yes, significantly · 9.3%
Yes, somewhat · 43.5%
Not sure · 1.9%
Not really · 34.3%
No, AI hasn't touched my work · 11.1%
Has AI changed construction PMs' day-to-day work
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
52.8% of construction PMs say their day-to-day work has changed because of AI in the last 12 months.
45.4% say it has not changed, or AI has not touched their work.
9.3% report significant change, including new tasks and new ways of working.
💡 A slim majority say AI has changed how they work, but only at the margins. Far more report a modest change than a significant one, and nearly half report little or none, so the shift is broad but shallow. Deeper, workflow-level change is still the exception.
Q6 - The biggest barrier to AI adoption isn't cost or skills, it's trust
We asked construction PMs what the biggest barrier was stopping them or their team from using more AI. The answers point to a single dominant concern, accuracy and trust, well ahead of cost, integration, or skills.
What's the biggest barrier to using more AI?
Accuracy and trust is the #1 barrier. Nearly 30% name it their top concern.
Concerns about accuracy / trust
29.6%
I don't understand how to use it
15.7%
It doesn't integrate with my tools
13.9%
Lack of skills on my team
13.0%
Other
13.0%
Privacy / data security
8.3%
Too expensive
3.7%
I don't have a use for it
2.8%
0%10%20%30%
What's the biggest barrier to using more AI
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
29.6% of respondents named accuracy and trust as the biggest barrier to AI adoption.
15.7% of respondents cite a lack of understanding of how to use AI.
13.9% of respondents point to integration with existing tools as the biggest barrier.
13.0% of respondents cite a skills gap on the team.
Only 3.7% of respondents pinpointed cost as the biggest barrier.
💡 The barriers left are mostly human, not technical. Trust, understanding, and skills far outweigh cost and integration, so adoption now turns on confidence, not the tools. More proof that AI works, and more training to use it, will move it further than new features or lower prices.
How the biggest barriers to AI shifted, 2025 vs 2026
Every tracked barrier fell in 2026. Accuracy and trust emerged as the new #1.
Accuracy and trust
Not tracked in 2025
29.6%
Data privacy
25.7%
8.3%
Integration
22.8%
13.9%
Understanding
20.8%
15.7%
Cost
18.8%
3.7%
0%10%20%30%
20252026
How the biggest barriers to AI shifted, 2025 vs 2026
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
Accuracy and trust is new in 2026 and went straight to number one (29.6%).
Data privacy fell from the top spot (25.7%) to just 8.3%.
Cost dropped to the bottom of the list, from 18.8% to 3.7%.
Integration (22.8% to 13.9%) and understanding (20.8% to 15.7%) both loosened their grip.
💡 The biggest barrier to AI is now trust in its accuracy, while cost has become the smallest concern. The worry is no longer whether AI is affordable but whether its output can be relied on, which is the concern that surfaces once teams put it to real work.
Q7 - Construction PMs aren't worried about being replaced, and most are already adapting
We asked construction PMs two related questions on the future of their role. How worried they are that AI could replace part or all of their job in the next 5 years, and how they are currently approaching AI as it grows in construction.
How worried are you about AI replacing your role in the next 5 years?
58.3% of Construction PMs aren't worried about AI replacing them.
Worried · 14.8%
Not worried · 58.3%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
5.6%
9.3%
26.9%
23.1%
35.2%
Very worried
Worried
Neutral
Not very worried
Not worried at all
How worried construction PMs are about AI replacing their role
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
58.3% of respondents are not worried about AI replacing their role in the next 5 years.
Only 14.8% say they are worried about being replaced.
The neutral middle, 26.9%, sit somewhere between worried and unconcerned.
💡 Respondents are meeting AI with confidence. The strongest concern about being replaced is the single rarest response, so there is little entrenched fear for AI to push against. With little fear to overcome, AI has a clear runway to wider use.
Which best describes how you're approaching AI as it grows in construction?
58.3% are already learning AI tools and skills. Just 1.9% are worried and unsure.
58.3%
Already learning AI tools
58.3%
Already learning AI tools and skills
19.4%
Planning to learn but haven't started
11.1%
Waiting to see how it plays out
8.3%
Not concerned, my role won't change
1.9%
Concerned about my role
0.9%
Other
How construction PMs are approaching AI
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
58.3% of respondents are already learning AI tools and skills.
19.4% are planning to learn but haven't started.
11.1% are waiting to see how AI plays out before investing time.
Only 1.9% are concerned about their role and unsure what to do.
💡 AI skill-building isn't being driven by fear. Far more respondents are already learning AI than are worried about being replaced, so fear can't be the force behind it. For most, picking up AI skills has simply become part of the job.
Q8 - The wish list: What construction PMs want AI to build
We asked construction PMs two final questions to round out the survey. If they had a magic wand, what AI tool would they want built specifically for construction PMs, and what would they do with the time AI saved them?
What AI tool would you build for construction PMs?
1 in 4 want reporting automation. Cost, schedule and document tools follow.
Reporting automation~25%
Document / contract~12%
Email handling~5%
Cost & schedule~10%
Agentic AI~6%
Skeptical or unsure~9%
Estimating & takeoff~5%
Meeting minutes~7%
BIM & design~3%
Reporting automation~25%
Document / contract~12%
Cost & schedule~10%
Skeptical or unsure~9%
Meeting minutes~7%
Agentic AI~6%
Email handling~5%
Estimating & takeoff~5%
BIM & design~3%
What AI tool construction PMs would build
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
What construction PMs want most
Construction PMs spend a disproportionate share of the week drafting, consolidating, and updating reports across spreadsheets, schedules, financial trackers, and meeting notes. AI has the potential to remove this friction by drafting reports automatically, pulling data from across project systems, and producing the ongoing updates that clients and stakeholders expect.
Document and contract analysis (~12%) and cost and schedule integration (~10%) combine for over a fifth of mentions. PMs want AI that reads long technical documents, flags issues in contracts and tenders, and links cost, schedule, and progress data into a single, live view with built-in forecasting.
Meeting minutes and action tracking (~7%) and agentic AI for PM workflows (~6%) account for roughly 13% of mentions combined. Both center on automating the repetitive coordination work of project management, capturing meetings, drafting minutes, tracking actions, chasing follow-ups, and presenting pre-built decisions for approval.
One respondent described an ideal setup as a connected ecosystem of specialist AI agents, each handling a distinct part of the work, such as risk or variation compliance. This lines up with the Q2 finding that 46.3% of construction PMs are planning to use agents.
Estimating and takeoff. AI that converts concept sketches into cost plans and supports early-stage estimating, largely from PMs in design-side work.
Email and correspondence handling. AI that reads incoming emails, files them, and updates the relevant project registers without intervention.
BIM quality and design coordination. AI that checks BIM quality gates and links RFI outcomes back to architect drawings, closing the manual loop that runs between design and construction teams.
Comprehensive AI suite. A handful of PMs described an integrated platform that combines data integration, document analysis, risk prediction, and reporting dashboards in one place.
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
If AI saved you 10 hours a week, what would you do with the time?
PMs want to do more, not less. Only 11% would use the time freed for family or rest.
More work & more projects
~30%
Strategic & proactive work
~20%
Family, rest & life outside work
~11%
Learning & skill development
~10%
Better focus on existing projects
~7%
0%10%20%30%
If AI saved construction PMs 10 hours a week
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
The 10-hour question reveals how construction PMs think about AI's purpose. Across the responses, the dominant answer is reinvestment. Themes are ranked by frequency below.
Roughly 1 in 3 responses, the dominant theme by a wide margin. Construction PMs would use saved time to take on additional projects, deepen client engagement, expand business development, and increase project output. AI is being framed as a capacity multiplier, consistent with the workforce shortage data covered earlier in this report.
Around 1 in 5 responses. PMs would shift time to forward planning, strategy, governance, and higher-value decision making. Several respondents described the frustration of being stuck in a cycle of running to stand still, with no room to weigh design decisions properly or think strategically about direction.
Around 1 in 10 responses. A meaningful but distinctly second-tier theme. Responses mentioned spending time with family, reducing 50 to 60-hour workweeks, leaving work on time, and looking after health. The fact that this theme sits behind business growth is itself a finding about how construction PMs are framing the AI opportunity.
Around 1 in 10 responses, with a clear sub-theme of building AI skill in particular. Several PMs said they would use the saved time to deepen their own AI knowledge and plan how to roll it out across their work.
PMs in this group would use the saved time to do existing work more thoroughly with fewer errors, rather than take on additional projects. Combined priorities mentioned included professional development, fewer rushed reviews, leaving work on time, and not eating lunch at the desk during busy periods.
Source: Mastt State of AI in Construction Project Management survey, March-June 2026
Construction has embraced AI, but its full value is still ahead
The 2026 State of AI in Construction Project Management survey confirms that AI has moved from an emerging technology into a core part of the construction project management workflow. Half of respondents now use AI on a daily basis, close to 7 in 10 hold a positive view of its expanding role, and the majority report that their day-to-day work has already begun to change.
If AI saved you 10 hours a week, what would you do with the time?
“Learning, refining, advancing.”
Anonymous Survey Respondent
Respondents are treating AI as a way to expand what a project manager can do, take on more work, and focus on more strategic decisions. It explains why nearly 6 in 10 are already investing time in learning AI tools.
Momentum is also building across every surveyed use case. Reporting, Document Management, Cost Management, and Contract Administration emerge as the clearest priorities for near-term investment.
At the same time, the data points to where meaningful opportunity remains untapped. Construction-specific AI reaches only a small share of respondents, with AI agents still in the early stages of adoption.
The strong lead of general-purpose AI shows that respondents are already embedding AI into daily work, opening the door for construction-specific tools to build on that habit.
“
We are still at the start of the real change. Construction PMs have taken to AI faster than anyone expected, and they know exactly what they want next, AI built for how construction really works, and reliable enough to trust. That is our vision at Mastt, agentic AI in every project team, a true human and AI workforce that takes on the admin so people can focus on leading, deciding, and building.
Construction PMs have already brought AI into their workflow. The next step is turning that adoption into a real advantage through depth, integration, and trust. Agents will be the biggest leap forward for the teams that get there first.
Research Methodology
The 2026 State of AI in Construction Project Management is the second annual survey by Mastt. It gathered 108 qualified responses from construction project management professionals across the globe between March and June 2026. Respondents were recruited through a range of Mastt-owned and partner channels, ensuring broad reach within the industry.
Recruitment channels included:
Industry newsletters and Mastt content distribution
LinkedIn outreach and Mastt's professional network
Direct email invitations to Mastt's user base and subscriber list
Industry webinars and partner referrals
Some multi-select responses are displayed as a percentage of total unique respondents rather than total selections, to provide more accurate insights.
Where possible, findings are compared to the 2025 State of AI in Construction Project Management report. The 2026 survey introduced new questions on AI use frequency, tool choice, AI agents, time savings, and replacement worry, where no 2025 baseline exists. The 2025 sample (150 respondents) and the 2026 sample (108 respondents) differ in size and composition, so year-on-year comparisons are framed as directional rather than precise.
Respondents came from a globally diverse range of organizations within the construction project management space, reflecting perspectives from both public and private sectors.
Organizational types included:
Government agencies overseeing capital and infrastructure projects
Large global consulting and engineering firms
Mid-sized and boutique project management firms
Real estate developers and project owners
Technology vendors and platform providers within construction
This diversity ensured the results captured a broad view of industry sentiment toward AI adoption.
The majority of participants held senior and mid-level roles directly involved in project delivery, planning, and oversight within capital works and infrastructure.
Common roles included:
Project Managers
Program Managers
Project Controls Specialists
Directors and Executives in Delivery and PMO roles
For the purpose of this survey, a “construction project management professional” was defined as anyone actively engaged in planning, managing, or executing capital or infrastructure projects. “AI” was defined broadly to include general-purpose large language models (such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini), AI features inside construction software, and specialist AI tools built for specific construction tasks. An “AI agent” was defined as an AI system that operates autonomously in the background of the user's work, taking actions on the user's behalf rather than only responding to prompts.
Contributors
Doug Vincent, Co-Founder and CEO, Mastt. Foreword and editorial direction.
Jacob Gibbs, Customer Success Team Lead, Mastt. Survey coordination and participant engagement.
Anna Marie Goco, Senior Content Writer, Mastt. Content development and editorial strategy.
Jefbeck Eje, SEO Specialist, Mastt. Data Visualization, Charting & Content Support
Citations
The following sources are referenced in the Global AI Statistics section of this report.
Jamie Cerexhe is the Chief Technology Officer at Mastt and has a wealth of experience in software development and project management. As a dedicated problem-solver, Jamie has been pivotal in delivering innovative solutions that meet business needs and enhance user experiences. His goal is to continue leveraging technology to drive progress and create value. Outside of work, Jamie enjoys exploring new tools and trends in the tech world, always staying ahead of the curve.
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Doug Vincent
Co-Founder and CEO, Mastt
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