Suffolk Launches AI Engineers on US Jobsites

Suffolk Construction is placing AI engineers on active jobsites across the US, in a move the company says will reshape how construction projects are planned and delivered.

The initiative, called Jobsite of the Future, has the power to significantly cut rework costs, as well as speed up overall project delivery, according to Suffolk. It is part of Suffolk’s US$100m investment into new data systems and innovation capabilities.

"Jobsite of the Future is our boldest investment yet," says John Fish, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Suffolk. "As costs continue to rise, labour shortages persist and productivity declines, the construction industry has reached an inflection point. 

“We believe Jobsite of the Future and our use of artificial intelligence and data will fundamentally change that trajectory and redefine how America builds for generations to come."

AI engineers in the room

Suffolk's AI engineers sit in on project meetings such as schedule updates, requisition reviews, submittal coordination and shop drawing reviews. According to Suffolk, being on site allows them to identify inefficiencies and deploy solutions in real time.

The engineers focus on three areas: design, schedule and process. Tools currently deployed include AI-assisted design review systems that identify drawing conflicts before construction begins. There is also AI-powered procurement tracking that flags supply chain risks, and computer vision technology that reduces time spent on site documentation.

Voice-enabled scheduling technology has also been introduced, cutting multi-day processes down to a matter of hours, according to Suffolk.

"At Suffolk, AI is not theoretical. It's operational," says Jit Kee Chin, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Suffolk. "We are building and deploying proven AI technologies to active jobsites to create measurable value for our teams and clients.

“Jobsite of the Future connects data, technology and operational expertise so our project teams can make smarter decisions, reduce risk and deliver projects with greater predictability."

Inside Suffolk's data lake

The programme draws on Suffolk's clean data lake, which holds approximately 293 terabytes of structured construction data. That is the equivalent of roughly 75 billion pages of PDFs. Around 50 million additional pages of project data are added to the system from Suffolk jobsites every day.

On one multi-billion-dollar project in the Midwest, Suffolk has piloted an AI-enhanced requisition process for monthly payment applications. The system flags likely issues before submission, compiles backup documentation automatically and reduces repetitive review cycles.

"Instead of reacting to issues after submission, our teams will be able to anticipate problems before they occur," says Doug Harrison, Vice President of Corporate Operations at Suffolk. 

"Altogether, these efforts will help to keep projects on schedule as a result of reliable cash flow for our trade partners, will improve accuracy in billings that benefit our clients, and will save time for our project teams."

According to Suffolk, the Midwest pilot saves the project team more than 40 hours per month.

Centralised innovation hub

Jobsite of the Future operates alongside 100MAG, which is Suffolk's innovation and AI hub in Boston. The hub supports field teams, develops in-house AI solutions and scales proven technologies across the business through regional CoLabs. 

Technologies developed and signed off through the programme are integrated into Suffolk's operations and standardised across projects. Suffolk is currently deploying the model across higher education, healthcare, aviation, gaming, mission critical and mixed-use developments. 

Suffolk is a national business with more than US$10bn in annual revenue and 3,500 employees, with offices across the US. 

John adds: "We are using AI to eliminate busy work, improve efficiency and allow our builders to focus on what they do best: solving problems, leading teams and building extraordinary projects."