The Daily Dig
Suffolk has teamed up with the MIT Center for Real Estate and MIT Media Lab City Science group to release a joint study on how artificial intelligence is reshaping construction performance, productivity, and project feasibility.
The report, titled "Construction in the Age of AI," is built on academic literature, case studies, expert interviews, survey input, and an industry roundtable. It pulled in perspective from more than 50 industry leaders.
Framing the Six Priorities
The study points to six areas where AI shows the most near-term potential. Those are design automation, offsite manufacturing, permitting, scheduling, skilled labor and subcontracting, and supply chain and procurement.
That list lines up with construction's usual pain points. The release itself points to long approval timelines, siloed data, and disconnected workflows as ongoing drags on performance.
Show Me the Savings
Suffolk built a model looking at the six levers applied together on a sample multifamily project. According to that model, the combined approach could produce 17% to 20% total cost savings and 22% to 25% total schedule savings.
Those numbers are projections from Suffolk's modeling, not results measured on a completed build.
"Construction is at an inflection point," said John Fish, Chairman and CEO of Suffolk. "AI presents a real opportunity to transform the way we build. The most meaningful progress will come when the entire ecosystem aligns around better data, smarter workflows and shared accountability."
James Scott, Co-Lead of the MIT Center for Real Estate, framed the study as a starting point. "This study is important because it starts to connect academic research with practical industry evidence," he said.
Jit Kee Chin, Suffolk's Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, summed up where the industry stands now. AI is moving from isolated use cases toward integrated workflows across design, procurement, scheduling, and execution. As she put it, that's where AI starts to become "operational, not theoretical."
Snapshot:
Report Title: Construction in the Age of AI: An Industry White Paper and Research Roadmap
Released By: Suffolk, in partnership with MIT Center for Real Estate and MIT Media Lab City Science group
Release Date: September 16, 2026
Release Location: Boston
Research Basis: Academic literature, case studies, expert interviews, survey input, industry roundtable
Industry Participants: More than 50 industry leaders
Six Priority Domains: Design automation, offsite manufacturing, permitting, scheduling, skilled labor and subcontracting, supply chain and procurement
Modeled Impact (sample multifamily project): 17% to 20% total cost savings, 22% to 25% total schedule savings
Suffolk Annual Revenue: More than $10 billion
Suffolk Employees: 3,500
Suffolk Industry Ranking: #7 on Top CM-at-Risk Contractors list
Suffolk Headquarters: Boston
Suffolk Additional Offices: New York City and Westchester County, New York; Estero, Miami, Tampa and West Palm Beach, Florida; Dallas; Los Angeles, Milpitas, San Francisco and San Diego, California; Las Vegas; Portland, Maine; New Haven, Connecticut; Herndon, Virginia; Salt Lake City
MIT Center for Real Estate Focus: Real estate research, education, and innovation; home to the first Master of Science in Real Estate Development program
TheJobWalk Thoughts
The real story is that Suffolk modeled all six levers together, not one at a time. That combined approach is what produced the projected 17% to 20% cost savings and 22% to 25% schedule gains, not any single tool working alone.
Permitting and supply chain both making the list is worth watching for subs and suppliers. If faster reviews and better sourcing visibility play out the way the study suggests, that could tighten the window between award and mobilization, which is worth planning around now rather than after it happens.
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