Infrastructure Sector Worldwide Embraces AI Amid $10 Trillion Boom Forecast

• 10 November 2025
• Construction Focus
• 1170 Views

The infrastructure sector is weighing the risks and returns of Artificial Intelligence (AI) usage as global construction value is projected to reach $10 trillion by 2025, yet productivity in this sector remains stagnant.

A new survey—The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Built Environment—conducted by Bentley Systems and partners, including law firm Pinsent Masons and consultancies Mott MacDonald and Turner & Townsend, reveals that AI is rapidly moving from concept to reality in the industry.

The survey shows widespread engagement with AI. Nearly all of the 130 global professionals polled reported that their firms are either experimenting with or have already adopted AI applications.

The results also show that current AI use is centered on automating document-related processes and boosting design and engineering productivity, rather than the construction itself.

Approximately one-third of organizations expect AI to be leveraged in more than half of their design, engineering, and construction projects within the next three years.

Kyle Rosenmeyer, a superuser of Bentley Systems engineering software at VHB, for instance, created a custom AI agent using Microsoft’s Copilot Studio to allow engineers to quickly access and leverage deep Bentley software information, highlighting the move toward AI as a co-worker.

According to the survey, industry leaders see AI as a pivotal tool to close the gap between robust construction spending and a lagging productivity rate that has remained flat for decades.

Firms also anticipate major benefits from AI, including significant improvements in cost estimation, scheduling, and overall construction process productivity. They plan to invest in technical capabilities, standardized data and processes, and AI leadership over the next three years to maximize these returns.

Despite the excitement, the transition is not without hurdles. The report highlighted two primary obstacles to full-scale AI adoption:

Data Risks (20%): A significant number of firms cited concerns related to data sharing, including intellectual property, privacy, cybersecurity, and commercial information.

Skills Gap (15%): A notable percentage of organizations reported a lack of AI skills among their workforce.

The survey also noted that while a majority of respondents expect AI to affect their current workflows, more than one-third of firms have limited or no project controls in place to manage the associated risks in design and construction.

• Technology and Engineering
• infrastructure development
• AI
• Bentley Systems