Agentic AI as a Capacity Multiplier: Why Construction Leaders Are Hiring “Digital Employees”

By

Joely Ho

Last Updated Feb 4, 2026

By

Joely Ho

It’s not every day you see Procore, CMiC, and EllisDon sharing the same stage. But frankly, the topic demanded it.

In a recent webinar hosted by On-Site Magazine, we joined leaders from these firms and Platform Insurance for a candid discussion on the next evolution of our industry’s technology: Agentic AI.

Canadian contractors are currently facing a perfect storm: a retiring workforce, tightening schedules, and demanding QA/QC requirements. The panel moved past the hype of "chatbots" to explore how a new class of digital employees is delivering immediate, practical value on Canadian project sites.

If you missed the live discussion, here is how the industry is shifting from thinking about AI to putting it to work.

The Core Shift: From "Helping" to "Doing"

It's a simple distinction: Generative helps people think; Agentic AI helps people actually get work done. This matters right now because construction doesn't have a knowledge problem -- we've got a capacity and consistency problem. More projects, more regulation, fewer experienced people.

The use cases that are practical and quick are anything where the work is repetitive, time is sensitive, and risk is high if follow-up slips. Agentic AI helps scale execution without scaling headcount. This is about protecting time, preserving experience, not replacing people.

Nolan Frazier

Head of Sales, Canada

Procore

Operational Reality: Concrete, Safety, and Logistics

AI in our industry is finally becoming operational rather than experimental. Many firms are beginning to experiment with Agentic AI systems that can act on real project conditions, orchestrate tasks, and support decision-making.

Research shows that the next two years will bring a sharp rise in predictive analytics, real-time monitoring, and integrated AI platforms. At EllisDon, we are actively developing Agentic AI on top of clean, structured, connected information.

We have already deployed practical Agentic AI solutions. We have automated HSE trend analysis, carbon reporting tools, emission classification engines, and are currently working on predictive cost forecasting tools. We've already seen some significant major productivity gains.

Nick Thompson

Chief Estimator

EllisDon

Eliminating the "Invisible Work"

The fastest path to ROI isn't futuristic automation; it's removing the administrative drag that kills productivity today. Jeff Weiss, CRO of CMiC, described this as eliminating the "invisible work"—the manual updates, coordination, and approval chasing that happens in the background.

When we talk about AI in construction, it's important to reset expectations. The real opportunity isn't AI as a feature or a chatbot, but rather AI as a digital employee that executes almost autonomously or under supervision inside real construction workflows.

At CMiC, we see AI agents as role-based digital staff -- Project Control Assistants, Cost Analysts, Safety Monitors -- that work alongside people. These agents don't just surface insights; they take action: reconciling data, flagging risk, updating forecasts.

The fastest value isn't futuristic automation specifically; it's eliminating the invisible work that drains productivity today -- manual updates, coordination, chasing approvals.

Jeff Weiss

Chief Revenue Officer

CMiC

Agentic AI enables construction firms to automate repetitive tasks in part or in whole without compromising safety, and scale capacity without adding headcount. This opportunity offers a clear ROI playbook: Success isn't just measured in dollars, but in labour hours saved and capacity returned to field and office teams.

The Unanswered Questions

We received more questions than we could answer during the live session. Our team stepped in to answer three critical questions from the audience that every Canadian executive should be asking right now:

Q: The companies that will win with AI are the ones who do the prep work (clean data, clear ownership). How can we convince leaders of this investment?

A: You can’t create good AI from bad data. The ROI of AI Agents is directly tied to the quality of the data lake they swim in. Convincing leadership starts with reframing data hygiene not as an IT task, but as a risk management strategy. Clean data allows Agents to flag inconsistencies before they become costly rework. Without the prep work, you aren't investing in AI; you're automating confusion.

Q: Who is accountable when an AI suggests an action that causes a cost delay or safety incident?

A: The "Human in the Loop" remains essential. Think of an AI Agent as a digital employee: you delegate the task, but you review the work. As Nick Thompson says, "We see it as a strong safety partner rather than a threat to our judgment." Site leaders must retain full responsibility for decisions. The real value unlocks when the Agent gives you a high-confidence recommendation without undermining the authority of your site leaders.

Q: For a smaller owner or contractor starting from spreadsheets, what is a realistic first use case?

A: Don’t try to boil the ocean with predictive cost forecasting on day one. Start with high-friction, repetitive admin tasks. Look for agents that can automate RFI chasing, submittal logging, or meeting minute distribution.

"RFIs and Submittals are a great example," says Nolan Frazier. "Most projects don't blow up because of one bad RFI; they bleed through dozens of late, open ones. Agents can monitor aging and flag critical path items."

These are low-risk entry points that immediately give time back to your team, proving the value of the technology without requiring a massive data overhaul. Once your teams trust the tool, you can scale the agents to bigger, more complex tasks.

Written by

Joely Ho

Campaign Manager, Canada | Procore

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