AI doesn't reduce work. It changes it.

21 Jan 2026 · 1 min

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In this monologue, William Doyle MRICS argues that knowledge workers—especially those in construction—spend a large portion of their day (up to 50%) gathering context, seeking feedback, and searching documentation. He proposes that if AI can automate these routine information‑retrieval tasks, the freed time can be redirected toward higher‑value activities such as strategic decision‑making, risk mitigation, negotiating better supplier pricing, and engaging a broader supplier base. Rather than viewing AI solely as a tool that reduces work, Doyle frames it as a catalyst that expands the scope of intelligent work, fundamentally reshaping how construction professionals allocate their effort.

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if we think about any of, you know, our workers, knowledge workers, you know, people sitting behind a desk the majority of the time. Yeah, a lot of it is looking for context, asking for feedback, and searching for documentation or evidence of something that's happened in the past. I think the real opportunity is if AI can do a lot of that stuff that we potentially spend 50% of our time on, what could we now do with all of that time? We could spend a lot more of our time on intelligent work, right? Decision-making, reducing risk on our projects, better pricing with suppliers, or going out to more suppliers. Because I think when we think about AI, we always think about what work does it reduce. But I think a really exciting thing that we're, that we're starting to think about is what type of work does it actually increase, which I think is a really, a really interesting application, especially in the context of construction.