From Data Mess to Market Edge

What do 3,503 construction leaders from 27 countries think about the industry’s tech future? Autodesk’s latest global survey reveals the trends shaping GCs, owners, trade contractors, and designers.

You can read the results in the 2025 State of Design & Make – Spotlight on Construction report.

Data is key, but poorly utilized

The report demonstrates that the industry needs to step up in making business use of the vast amounts of data it produces:

• Construction professionals spend an average of 13 hours per week looking for the right data.
• Only 38% of construction leaders rate their company’s ability to share data as strong, with the majority (46%) saying their data-sharing abilities are just acceptable.
• Digital leaders are roughly twice as likely to report strong data sharing as beginners.

According to the report, a typical construction project involves an average of 42 external collaborators from design through handover (I find this estimate conservative). Improving data sharing to make it easier and more standardized would significantly boost the efficiency of workflows.

Spreadsheets remain the top choice

Digital leaders utilize an average of 5.3 digital tools per construction project, compared to 3.4 among beginner organizations. Organizations that report robust data-sharing practices use an average of 5.2 tools, while those with poor data-sharing practices use just 2.9.

I find the number of tools surprisingly low. Maybe these are just the most essential ones?

The following chart displays responses to the question: “What digital systems/tools, if any, do you currently use on construction projects? Select all that apply.” Unsurprisingly, spreadsheets are still going strong. But why is the percentage not even higher?

AI disillusionment

Many projects, startups, and initiatives are working to address the data sharing and collaboration challenges. AI could help in this area, although Autodesk’s report shows a slight decline in that confidence. While 68% believe AI will improve the construction industry, this is a sharp drop from 80% in 2024.

The report concludes that the decline in sentiment signals that AI is following the classic tech hype cycle, as leaders face the challenges of implementation, an ongoing technical skills shortage, and the limitations of the current technology.

The business case for AI remains unclear to many professionals. 47% of construction leaders say identifying where AI can be beneficial is a significant or moderate concern. Only 32% of construction leaders report that they are either pursuing or have achieved their AI objectives. There is also a sense of fear, as 44% of leaders agree that AI could destabilize the construction industry.

Top AI priorities

Regardless of the reservations regarding AI, companies are

Leaders’ AI priorities in the next 1-2 years are:

• Scheduling
• Cost management
• Document management
• Payments
• Design collaboration

Top AI priorities in the next 2-5 years:

• Project management
• Quantification
• Document management
• Estimating
• RFIs

Beyond five years, survey respondents identify field and design collaboration, issues, bidding, and other unspecified workflows as top priorities.

The outlook

Industry leaders identified several worries, including the cost of raw materials, economic uncertainty, and higher labor costs, which 55% mentioned as moderate or major concerns. They also face these tech-related challenges:

• Investing in a technology that quickly becomes obsolete (50%)
• Access to accurate data to make business decisions (50%)
• Securely sharing data with collaborators (48%)

Despite challenges, 65% of industry leaders feel positive about their businesses’ financial performance over the next three years, and 62% are optimistic about the overall future of the construction industry.

The industry’s next leap won’t come from gathering more data or chasing every new AI tool. It will come from making data work harder and AI work smarter.