Proactive by Design: How AI Is Reshaping AEC Workflows
Bridging the Gap: Insights & Innovations in Construction
Why PDFs remain the industry's common language
David explains PDF's role as the de facto exchange format and how platforms like Bluebeam can layer AI on top of PDFs.
Being proactive in AEC has always been the goal but until now, it’s been hard to achieve at scale. In this episode of Bridging the Gap, host Todd Weyandt is joined by David Spergel of Graitec to explore how AI is reshaping workflows to help project teams anticipate risk, surface intent earlier, and make better decisions across the project lifecycle.
The conversation dives into how shared project artifacts, like drawings and PDFs, are evolving into intelligent layers that connect design teams, project managers, and the field. Rather than reacting to issues after they appear, AI-powered workflows help teams reduce ambiguity, improve communication, and move work forward with greater clarity and confidence.
This episode offers a hopeful, practical look at how AI supports people, not by replacing expertise, but by enabling more proactive, aligned, and predictable project delivery.
You’ll Learn:
- How AI workflows are helping project teams shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive decision-making
- Why shared project artifacts like drawings and PDFs are evolving into intelligent layers that connect design, construction, and the field
- How surfacing intent and context earlier reduces coordination gaps, RFIs, and late-stage surprises
- Ways AI improves communication and collaboration without replacing human expertise or forcing new workflows
- What proactive, AI-enabled project delivery looks like and why it leads to more predictable outcomes
MEET OUR GUEST
David Spergel is an AEC technology leader with deep experience helping design and construction teams improve how they collaborate, communicate, and execute projects using digital tools. His background spans software enablement, workflow optimization, and customer-facing strategy, with a strong focus on how platforms like Bluebeam support real-world project delivery. David brings a practical, people-first perspective to emerging technologies, translating AI and data-driven workflows into clear, adoptable processes that help teams reduce risk, break down silos, and make better decisions across the project lifecycle.
TODD TAKES
AI isn’t a threat. It’s a force multiplier for people.
In AEC, AI isn’t replacing expertise. It’s removing the tedious, time-consuming work that pulls teams away from judgment, creativity, and problem-solving. When the noise is reduced, people can focus on decisions that actually move projects forward.
The industry’s real opportunity is turning shared artifacts into shared understanding.
Drawings, markups, and documents already hold enormous intent and context. When that information becomes easier to interpret and act on, teams spend less time searching for answers and more time aligning across design, construction, and the field.
Better data leads to better conversations and better outcomes.
When information is surfaced proactively instead of reactively, collaboration improves. Fewer misunderstandings, fewer late surprises, and clearer accountability create momentum toward predictability, trust, and stronger project delivery.
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