AI isn't here to replace the QS

16 Apr 2026 · 1 min

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In this monologue, the speaker argues that knowledge workers in construction, such as quantity surveyors (QS), spend a large portion of their day—up to 50%—searching for context, gathering feedback, and locating past documentation. The speaker proposes that AI can automate these routine, time‑consuming activities, freeing up that time for higher‑value, "intelligent" work. This includes better decision‑making, risk reduction, more strategic supplier pricing, and engaging with a broader supplier base. The central insight is not only that AI reduces existing tasks, but that it also creates opportunities for new types of work that were previously impractical, reshaping the role of QS in the construction industry.

Chapters

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.