Balfour Beatty invests $10M in Microsoft AI for construction

Dive Brief:

• London-based construction giant Balfour Beatty has invested £7.2 million ($9.6 million) in Microsoft's AI offering, Microsoft 365 Copilot, as part of its broader push to integrate artificial intelligence into its operations.
• The AI-powered assistant will operate securely within Balfour Beatty's IT environment, distinct from publicly available tools.
• The company plans to develop AI agents to enhance quality, health, safety, and assurance processes, with the first trial at an infrastructure project in Scotland.

Dive Insight: Balfour Beatty is piloting the AI technology at the £185 million A9 project in Scotland, where it is upgrading a single-lane highway to two lanes, constructing four new bridges, and delivering various junction upgrades.

The AI agent focuses on inspection and test plans (ITPs), identifying common issues such as incorrect or outdated templates reaching technical experts. This enhances the consistency, efficiency, and quality of ITPs, according to the company.

By automating the manual review process—which traditionally takes several hours and is repeated thousands of times—the tool accelerates delivery and allows engineers to focus on high-value tasks like design assurance and technical problem-solving. This ultimately boosts productivity.

Jon Ozanne, Balfour Beatty’s chief information officer, emphasized the strategic importance of the investment: "This investment isn’t just about embracing technology. It’s about ensuring our business remains at the forefront of competitiveness and cyber security."

The move follows Balfour Beatty's earlier announcement in March 2024 during its full-year earnings call, where it unveiled a £72 million AI investment aimed at transforming construction processes across the UK.