Hello Project AI enthusiasts,

Welcome to another edition of our newsletter, where we explore the nuanced world of artificial intelligence from the lens of project delivery professionals. Gear up for an exhilarating ride as we take a closer look at:

  • Agentic Autonomy: Microsoft AI Chief Mustafa Suleyman's prediction that AI agents will automate most white-collar tasks within 18 months, forcing a fundamental shift in the project manager's role from task execution to strategic oversight.

  • Browser Intelligence: The growing divide in AI business models, with OpenAI testing ads in ChatGPT while Anthropic expands its free offerings, forcing project teams to weigh the trade-offs between accessibility, privacy, and cost.

  • Project Scheduling Revolution: The UK's struggle to bridge the gap between AI potential and its actual adoption in the construction industry, a challenge that puts the onus on project professionals to lead the charge in skills development and strategic implementation.

  • AI & Spreadsheets: The AI productivity paradox, where the very tools designed to boost efficiency are causing burnout among high-performing employees, highlighting the need for thoughtful and sustainable AI implementation.

  • Workforce Transformation: The rise of proptech as a quiet but powerful force in the AI revolution, exemplified by Smart Bricks' $5 million funding round for their sensor-embedded bricks that promise to transform how we build and manage projects.

In This Edition

Flux check-in

Microsoft AI Chief's 18-Month Deadline: Is Your Project Management Career Safe?

Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, has put a timeline on the AI revolution: fully autonomous AI agents capable of replacing complex project management tasks are just 18 months away. This isn't a distant forecast; it's a near-term reality that demands immediate attention from every project professional. Read the full breakdown →

What Does This Mean for Me?

Suleyman's prediction isn't about mass unemployment; it's about a fundamental shift in the skills required to deliver projects. Repetitive, administrative, and data-heavy tasks will be automated, freeing up project managers to focus on strategic, high-value activities like complex stakeholder management, creative problem-solving, and ethical decision-making. The project managers who thrive will be those who embrace AI as a collaborator, not a competitor.

Key Themes:

  • Accelerated Automation: AI agents are on track to automate complex project tasks within 18 months.

  • Strategic Skill Shift: The project manager's role will evolve from task execution to strategic oversight and high-value activities.

  • Adaptability as a Core Competency: Continuous learning and adaptation are now critical for career survival in the face of rapid technological change.

  • AI as a Collaborator: The most successful project managers will be those who learn to effectively collaborate with AI to enhance their capabilities.

Down the Rabbit Hole:

The Great AI Divide: Why OpenAI's Ads and Anthropic's Freebies Matter for Project Delivery

OpenAI and Anthropic are taking starkly different approaches to monetization, with OpenAI introducing ads and Anthropic focusing on free and low-cost access. This isn't just a business strategy; it's a philosophical divide with significant implications for how project teams access and use AI. Read the full breakdown →

What Does This Mean for Me?

The choice between a free, ad-supported model and a paid, premium service will impact your project's budget, data privacy, and user experience. Ad-supported models may be more accessible, but they come with potential distractions and data privacy concerns. Paid models offer a cleaner, more secure experience, but at a higher cost. As a project manager, you'll need to weigh these factors carefully when selecting AI tools for your team.

Key Themes:

  • The Monetisation Dilemma: The AI industry is at a crossroads, with competing business models shaping the future of AI accessibility.

  • The Privacy vs. Accessibility Trade-off: Ad-supported models offer greater accessibility but raise significant data privacy and usability concerns.

  • The Premium Experience: Paid AI services provide a more secure and focused user experience, but at a premium price point.

  • The Project Manager's Choice: Project managers must now carefully evaluate the trade-offs between cost, privacy, and functionality when selecting AI tools.

Down the Rabbit Hole:

Unlock the Future of Digital Construction

The DTSA micro-credential gives young people and career changers barrier-free access to digital twin education – a first for the UK construction industry. Built on 32 months of work at the University of Cambridge’s CDBB, it opens doors to cutting-edge skills in safer, smarter, and more sustainable project delivery.

With portfolio-based assessment (offered as part of an Apprenticeship) and real industry insight, the course creates a clear pathway into digital construction for site teams, aspiring architects, engineers, surveyors, and project owners / funders. In partnership with the Digital Twin Hub and OCN London, the DTSA is shaping the next generation of talent and helping position the UK as a global leader in digital construction and innovation.

Sign up by emailing [email protected]

From Potential to Performance: Bridging the UK's AI Adoption Gap in Construction

A new report from the UK government highlights a significant gap between the potential of AI and its actual adoption in the construction industry. While the technology exists to revolutionise project delivery, a lack of skills, investment, and clear strategy is holding the sector back. Read the full breakdown →

What Does This Mean for Me?

This report is a call to action for project professionals in the UK construction industry. You have a critical role to play in bridging the adoption gap by championing AI within your organisations, investing in skills development, and developing clear strategies for AI implementation. The future of the industry depends on your leadership and vision.

Key Themes:

  • The Adoption Gap: The UK construction industry is failing to capitalise on the full potential of AI.

  • The Barriers to Adoption: A lack of skills, investment, and strategic vision are the primary obstacles to AI adoption.

  • The Project Manager's Role: Project professionals are central to driving the adoption of AI in the construction industry.

  • The Need for Leadership: Strong leadership and a clear vision are essential for navigating the transition to an AI-powered future.

Down the Rabbit Hole:

The AI Productivity Paradox: Why Your Best People Are Burning Out

The promise of AI was to make us more productive, but for many, it's leading to burnout. A recent study reveals that high-performing employees are struggling to keep up with the demands of AI-driven workflows, leading to a decline in engagement and well-being. Read the full breakdown →

What Does This Mean for Me?

As a project leader, you need to be aware of the hidden costs of AI adoption. The pressure to constantly learn new tools, adapt to new processes, and deliver at an accelerated pace can take a toll on your team. It's crucial to foster a culture of psychological safety where team members can openly discuss their challenges and concerns. The solution isn't to abandon AI but to implement it thoughtfully and sustainably.

Key Themes:

  • The Burnout Effect: The push for AI-driven productivity is inadvertently causing burnout among top performers.

  • The Adaptation Challenge: The constant need to adapt to new tools and workflows is a significant source of stress for employees.

  • The Importance of Psychological Safety: Creating a culture of open communication and support is essential for navigating the challenges of AI adoption.

  • Sustainable AI Implementation: The key to long-term success lies in a thoughtful and sustainable approach to integrating AI into your workflows.

Down the Rabbit Hole:

Smart Bricks' $5M Funding: Is Proptech the Real AI Revolution?

While the world is focused on generative AI, proptech startup Smart Bricks has quietly raised $5 million to bring AI to the construction site. Their smart bricks, embedded with sensors and connected to an AI platform, promise to revolutionise how we build and manage projects. Read the full breakdown →

What Does This Mean for Me?

Smart Bricks is a reminder that the most impactful AI innovations may not be the most hyped. As a project manager, it's important to look beyond the headlines and explore how emerging technologies, like proptech, can be applied to your projects. The real AI revolution may not be about chatbots and image generators but about the quiet integration of AI into the physical world.

Key Themes:

  • The Rise of Proptech: Proptech is emerging as a key area of AI innovation, with the potential to transform the construction industry.

  • The Power of Embedded AI: Smart Bricks' sensor-embedded bricks provide real-time data and insights, enabling more efficient and effective project management.

  • Beyond the Hype: The most impactful AI innovations may be those that are quietly integrated into the physical world, rather than those that generate the most headlines.

  • The Project Manager as Innovator: Project managers have a critical role to play in identifying and implementing emerging technologies like proptech.

Down the Rabbit Hole:

The pulse check

Tip of the week

Master the Art of the AI Prompt: Why Input Quality Determines Output Credibility

The adage is true but incomplete: the quality of your AI output is directly proportional to the quality of your input. But what does "quality input" actually mean for project professionals? A vague prompt like "write a project update" will produce generic, unusable output. A precise prompt—one that provides context, examples, and constraints—yields outputs that are immediately actionable.

The mechanics are simple but powerful:

  • Provide context: Tell the AI who the audience is, what decision they need to make, and what constraints they're operating under. "This update will inform a board decision on project continuation" changes everything.

  • Show examples: If you have a previous update you liked, share it. Patterns matter to LLMs. One good example is worth a thousand words of instruction.

  • Set constraints: Word count, tone, structure, what to include and exclude. "No more than 150 words, bullet-point format, focus on risks only" is infinitely more useful than "keep it brief."

  • Specify the format: Don't just ask for "analysis"—ask for "a three-paragraph analysis with a one-sentence conclusion." Structure reduces hallucination and improves usability.

  • Include guardrails: Tell the AI what NOT to do. "Don't speculate on costs. Only cite figures from the approved budget baseline." This prevents confident fabrication.

The payoff? Outputs that require minimal editing, maintain consistency across your team, and actually reflect your project's reality rather than the AI's best guess at what you might want.

  1. OpenAI - Best Practices for Prompt Engineering
    https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/prompt-engineering

    • Official guidance on crafting effective prompts

  2. arXiv - A Survey of Prompt Engineering for Large Language Models
    https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.01029

Governance & Security

The intersection of AI and finance is becoming a critical area of focus for governance and security. Goldman Sachs is teaming up with Anthropic to automate banking tasks with AI agents, a move that highlights the immense potential of AI in the financial sector. However, it also raises significant questions about data privacy, security, and regulatory compliance.

As project professionals, we must be at the forefront of these conversations, ensuring that AI is implemented responsibly and ethically. The Goldman Sachs and Anthropic partnership is a clear signal that the financial services industry is ready to embrace AI, but it also serves as a reminder of the critical importance of robust governance and security frameworks.

Robotics

  • LimX Dynamics has secured a massive $200 million Series B to advance its humanoid robots, including the full-size Oli, which features reconfigurable limbs and embodied AI. Explore their work here

  • Bedrock Robotics is bringing advanced autonomy to the construction world with its autonomous excavators, backed by a $270 million Series B. Discover more about their technology

  • MirrorMe Technology has unveiled Bolt, the world's fastest humanoid robot, capable of reaching speeds of 10 m/s (22 mph). See Bolt in action

  • RobCo has raised $100 million in a Series C round to scale its AI-powered flexible robotic hardware for the manufacturing industry. Learn about their expansion

  • Carbon Robotics is revolutionising agriculture with its LaserWeeder G2, which uses a Large Plant Model AI for precision laser weeding. Read further on their innovation

Trending Tools and Model Updates

  • Krea Realtime — Real-time AI rendering for creative professionals. Generate stunning images, videos, and 3D assets instantly without waiting for processing. Perfect for project teams needing rapid visual iterations. Explore Krea here

  • Kling 3.0 — The latest in AI video generation with cinema-quality output. Ideal for creating project presentations, stakeholder communications, and marketing materials with minimal effort. Discover Kling 3.0

  • Nodes and Links Operator 1.2 — AI-powered scheduling that eliminates manual planning headaches. Handles complex project workflows with zero errors and transparent reasoning—a game-changer for construction planners. Learn more about the upgrade

  • Togal.AI — Construction takeoff software that's 80% faster and 98% accurate. Transforms tedious estimation work into seconds, freeing your team to focus on strategy rather than spreadsheets. See how it works

  • OpenSpace — Visual intelligence for construction sites. AI-powered photo analysis provides real-time project clarity, progress tracking, and issue detection without leaving the office. Explore OpenSpace

  • Claude for Excel — AI reasoning now lives in the spreadsheet 90% of project teams already use. Pivot tables, charts, and file uploads—all powered by Claude's advanced capabilities. Get the beta

  • Trunk Tools — Construction project management reimagined with AI. Streamlines workflows, automates routine tasks, and gives teams more time for high-value decision-making. Discover Trunk Tools

Links We are Loving

Community

The Spotlight Podcast

From Prompt Engineering to Context Engineering: Why Your AI Results Depend on How You Ask

This week's chat with Rajeev Kapur, Forbes' top AI advocate and 1105 Media CEO, discusses the crucial shift from prompt engineering to context engineering and how it could change your team's AI use.

Most AI users get poor answers because they ask the wrong questions, not because the technology is incorrect. To "write a project update," ChatGPT must guess your audience, priorities, and limits. The output shows such uncertainty. Provide rich context—role, task, constraints, and output format—and quality changes completely.

Rajeev's framework is neat and useful. Context engineering evolves naturally from prompt engineering. Instead of a search engine, regard AI as a collaborator who needs context. Inform it of its role, task, context, and output format. Between "give me a business plan" and "give me a business plan for launching an AI-focused podcast aimed at construction professionals, assuming I have a $50,000 budget and three months to launch" is actionable.

The conversation shows a key truth: bad impulses cause bad consequences. Communication failure, not AI failure. Completely fixable. Recognising that context engineering is now a basic professional skill differentiates those who use AI effectively from those who waste time fighting it. This is the actual potential.

Rajeev discusses context engineering, the radiologist paradox that proves AI produces jobs, and practical robotics that are changing construction sites in the full Project Flux audio episode.

Listen Now

Listen Now or watch now

Read the blog

Event of the Week

NAAIC AI Summit 2026: Bridging the Gap Between AI Innovation and Practical Implementation

19–20 February 2026 | Miami Dade College, Miami, Florida, USA

The flagship event of the National Applied AI Consortium brings together 500+ AI practitioners, enterprise executives, and innovators to discuss scaled AI deployment problems. NAAIC AI Summit 2026 tackles the important challenges facing project delivery professionals adopting AI with 80+ speakers and tracks on AI strategy, implementation, governance, and workforce change.

Enterprise AI Deployment, AI Governance and Risk Management, and Workforce Transformation in the AI Era are highlights for construction, engineering, and project management teams. The AI for Productivity and Efficiency track addresses project executives' questions about how AI might speed up delivery while retaining quality.

The summit's focus on applied AI rather than theoretical research makes it vital for professionals transitioning from pilot projects to production. Case studies from companies already using AI offer actionable insights for teams at any stage of adoption.

Details & Registration: https://www.naaic.ai/naaic-ai-summit-2026

One more thing

Ray Kurzweil: The Singularity is Nearer

That’s it for today!

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See you soon,

James, Yoshi and Aaron—Project Flux 

All content reflects our personal views and is not intended as professional advice or to represent any organisation.

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