Artificial intelligence is already showing up on Ontario job sites and in back offices: in estimating software, scheduling tools, document review and everyday email drafting. For many small and mid-sized contractors, the question isn’t whether to use AI but how to use it without putting client data, contracts or your company’s reputation at risk.
To help members answer that question, the Ontario General Contractors Association, through its Innovation Committee, is releasing a set of four free resources designed to work together.
1. Artificial Intelligence in Construction
A plain-language guide to adopting AI responsibly, written for contractors rather than technologists. It covers where AI is delivering practical value in construction today, the risks that come with it (data privacy, confidentiality, accuracy and accountability), how to put basic governance in place, and a phased roadmap for moving from first experiments to managed, company-wide use.
Click here to download the guide.
2. The Executive Brief
A two-page summary for owners and senior leaders who want the business case without the technical detail. It sets out the questions to ask before approving any AI tool, who is accountable for AI-assisted work, and what “done right” looks like after one year: a written policy and designated lead, documented results, and a team that sees AI as a help rather than a threat.
Click here to download the Executive Brief.
3. Listen: Artificial Intelligence in Construction — A 20-Minute Overview
A quick confession before you press play: the two hosts in this conversation have never set foot on a job site, worn a hard hat or chased down a late submittal. That’s because they’re AI. We figured the best way to introduce a guide about using AI responsibly was to let AI do the talking and then do exactly what the guide recommends: have humans check its work.
In about 20 minutes, our hosts walk through the guide in plain language. They cover what AI can and can’t do in a construction business, where it saves time today (summarizing RFPs, turning site voice notes into meeting minutes, drafting RFIs and daily reports), and where it can get a contractor into trouble: confidential pricing uploaded to public tools, project data stored outside Canada, and AI-drafted documents nobody checked.
It all comes back to the guide’s core principle: AI may assist. Humans remain accountable. (Our hosts said that line themselves. We checked.) The conversation closes with the phased roadmap for adopting AI and what success looks like after the first year.
Click here to listen.
4. The AI Governance Policy Builder
An online tool that turns the guide’s recommendations into a draft AI policy for your company. In about 10 minutes, you answer questions across six areas: company profile, current AI use, data and privacy exposure, governance and risk posture, priority use cases, and training and culture. The builder then generates a nine-section policy tailored to your company’s size, sector and risk tolerance, which you can export to PDF or Word.
Click here to start your policy.
The policy the builder produces is a starting point, not legal advice. Before adopting it, review it with your legal counsel and senior leadership. Also check it against your contract obligations, owner requirements and, where applicable, your collective agreements.
“Many contractors are already using AI somewhere in their business, often without anyone having set the ground rules,” said Michael Rennie of Maestro Technologies inc., who chaired the AI Guide Sub-Committee. “The goal was to make the first step practical: know which tools your people are using, decide what information stays out of them, and make sure a qualified person stands behind anything AI helps produce.”
Where to start
If you’re short on time, read the Executive Brief first. If you’re ready to act, use the Policy Builder to get a draft policy in front of your leadership team, and keep the full guide on hand as the reference behind it.
Acknowledgements
The AI Guide was developed by the AI Guide Sub-Committee of the OGCA Innovation Committee. OGCA thanks the sub-committee members for contributing their time and expertise to this work:
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Michael Rennie, Chair, Business Development, Maestro Technologies inc.
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Kyle Bryan, VP Operations, Ontario Buildings, Bird Construction
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Shaun Dawson, President, GEN-PRO
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Jon Boktor, formerly with PCL Construction
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Roberto Alzuarde, Mattamy Homes Canada
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Giovanni Cautillo, President, Ontario General Contractors Association
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Andrew Sampogna, Vice President, Ontario General Contractors Association
Questions or feedback can be directed to OGCA at info@ogca.ca.
