Introducing the Intleacht SeFrom Awareness to Adoption:
Introducing the Intleacht Series 2026: From Awareness to Adoption.
Series Overview & Collaborators
Artificial Intelligence is developing at extraordinary speed and will reshape construction in ways that are already becoming visible. This online series creates a timely space for a mature industry conversation — going beyond the hype to focus on real construction workflows, real risks, and real opportunities for improved productivity, safety, quality, cost certainty and sustainability outcomes.
The series recognises that job roles will change. Some routine tasks will be automated; new responsibilities will emerge around data, governance and assurance; while craft and trade skills will remain central and become even more critical as Ireland scales delivery. AI should ultimately make us more efficient and free professionals to focus on collaboration, communication, leadership and sound judgement.
Across six events, participants will gain practical examples, shared learning and clear next steps for responsible AI adoption — relevant to architects, engineers, contractors, project and construction managers, QS/commercial teams, sustainability professionals, planners, MMC manufacturers, clients and public bodies.
Event One: Foundations: AI, Data and Responsible Adoption 1
Event 1 sets the foundation for the entire series. AI is increasingly being used informally in construction — to summarise documents, draft text, analyse information and support decision-making. Without a shared understanding and clear boundaries, however, the industry risks fragmented adoption, inconsistent quality and avoidable professional and contractual exposure.
This event provides a clear, plain-language explanation of AI terms and capabilities relevant to the built environment (including NLP, large language models, machine learning and generative AI). It focuses on how AI interacts with construction information such as specifications, drawings, inspection reports, RFIs, meeting minutes, contracts and standards.
A key focus is responsible adoption: governance, confidentiality, intellectual property, bias, and the importance of professional oversight. The session outlines what it means to keep the professional ‘in the loop’ and how to validate AI outputs within real project workflows.
The scope includes practical examples of using AI safely for document interrogation, compliance support, issue extraction, action tracking and drafting support (with human review). The event concludes with a practical readiness checklist and guidance on selecting low-risk, high-value pilot opportunities to build capability and confidence across multidisciplinary teams.
Event Two:
AI for Generative Design, Planning and Early-Stage Decision Making.
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Event 2 focuses on the early stages of the project lifecycle, where decisions lock in the majority of cost, carbon, programme duration and buildability outcomes. It is here that AI can add value quickly — not by replacing design thinking, but by enabling teams to explore more options, test assumptions earlier and improve transparency for clients and stakeholders.
The event explores AI-supported optioneering, generative design workflows, and planning/constrain analysis. It considers how AI tools can support concept iteration, massing studies, site analysis and stakeholder communication. It also explores how planning and policy information can be interpreted and queried more efficiently using NLP tools — potentially improving consistency and reducing uncertainty.
The scope includes the implications for architects, structural engineers and MEP engineers, including early-stage system selection, performance exploration and coordination. Sustainability and carbon are embedded throughout, showing how early signals (even if approximate) can inform better decisions.
Importantly, the event addresses validation: how to test, verify and responsibly use AI outputs; how to manage intellectual property; and how to ensure that professional judgement remains central. The session closes with guidance on practical adoption pathways for design and engineering practices, planning teams and clients.
Event Three:
Predictive Analytics for Programme, Cost and Commercial Control.
Event 3 addresses one of the most persistent challenges in construction: time and cost certainty. Delays, cost escalation and claims remain common, and traditional controls often identify problems only after they have become difficult to recover. Predictive analytics offers the potential to shift from reactive reporting to early warning and targeted intervention.
This event explores how historical and live project data can be used to forecast delay risk, cost variance and commercial exposure. It covers the types of inputs that matter (progress data, constraints, productivity, procurement signals, change control, weather and other drivers) and how predictive models can highlight emerging risks.
The scope is particularly relevant to project managers, construction managers and QS/commercial teams. It shows how AI can support stronger forecasting, scenario testing, cashflow awareness and more robust submissions — without undermining accountability.
Governance is again central. The event addresses explainability, validation, audit trails and the dangers of over-reliance on automated forecasts. Participants will leave with a grounded understanding of where predictive analytics adds real value, how to embed it into standard controls, and how to progressively mature from dashboards to decision-support capability and confidence.
Event Four:
AI on Site: Safety, Quality and Real-Time Insight. 4
Event 4 shifts the focus from design and planning to delivery, examining how AI can support construction sites through enhanced safety, quality assurance and objective progress insight. Sites operate under growing pressure: working in restricted progressively built sites and at heights, tighter programmes, stronger compliance requirements and increasing expectations for accurate documentation and reporting.
This event explores computer vision and AI-enabled monitoring technologies, highlighting what is realistic today. Safety use cases include PPE compliance monitoring, hazard detection, unsafe behaviour identification and leading indicators to prevent incidents. Quality use cases include automated snag capture, defect detection, tolerance checks and verification of installation.
The scope includes progress tracking using imagery and digital records, enabling more consistent reporting to clients and reducing administrative burden on site leadership teams. However, the event treats ethics and trust as central: addressing privacy, consent, data protection and workforce engagement. AI must support site teams — not be perceived as surveillance.
Participants will gain a clear view of implementation considerations including governance, data ownership, integration with safety management systems and QA processes, and how to align AI deployment with organisational culture. The session closes with practical steps for trialling AI on site in a responsible and collaborative manner.
Event Five: AI, MMC and Automation: From Design to Delivery.
Event 5 focuses on Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), industrialised delivery and automation. MMC depends on repeatability, quality control, predictable logistics and reliable information flow — all areas where AI can deliver measurable value. This event positions AI as an enabler of industrialised construction at scale, supporting national housing and infrastructure delivery goals.
The event explores how AI supports offsite manufacturing environments through production planning, factory optimisation, automated QA/QC and defect detection. It addresses supply chain coordination, logistics forecasting and installation planning — improving certainty and reducing waste. It also considers robotics and automation in both factories and site environments, focusing on realistic deployment rather than distant future visions.
The scope is designed to resonate strongly with MMC manufacturers and suppliers, as well as contractors and design teams who must coordinate digital design outputs, manufacturing data and site installation information.
Participants will gain practical insight into the role of AI in improving repeatability, reducing defects, and enabling more predictable delivery. The session closes with guidance on how to align MMC strategies with AI capabilities across the supply chain.
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Event Six: Scaling AI: Whole-Life Performance, Carbon
and ESG.
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The final event is about moving from experimentation to capability. Many organisations are trialling AI tools — but few have yet established the governance, skills and operating models needed to scale adoption responsibly. At the same time, clients and public bodies face increasing requirements for carbon reduction, ESG reporting and whole-life asset performance.
This event explores how AI can support carbon assessment workflows, evidence-based ESG reporting and lifecycle optimisation. It considers how AI can help structure sustainability data, automate portions of reporting, and improve visibility of performance across portfolios. It also explores whole-life asset outcomes including energy performance, indoor environmental quality, maintenance and operational efficiency.
The scope resonates with sustainability professionals, clients/asset owners, government bodies, regulators and the wider project team — because whole-life performance requires coordinated information flow from design to delivery to operations.
The event concludes the series by focusing on organisational readiness: skills, governance, assurance, and standards alignment. Participants will leave with a clear picture of what ‘mature’ AI adoption looks like and a practical view of next steps for embedding AI responsibly within business strategy, professional practice and public sector expectations.
Harnessing the potential of Information Communications Technology in the Irish Construction Industry.
CitA was established as a research project in TU Dublin in association with SETU in May 2001, with the vision of harnessing the potential of ICT in the Irish Construction Industry. CitA was formally incorporated into a company limited by guarantee with no share capital in November 2005.
CitA is a not-for-profit organisation. Membership is open to all stakeholders in the Irish Construction Industry who share the CitA vision.
Ireland’s Premier Multidisciplinary Construction Network presents monthly events, an annual conference and delivers subsidised training through the CitA Skillnet Training Network since 2008.
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