How AI is rewriting future of project management

HanmiGlobal, South Korea's leading construction project management company, convened global industry leaders at its 30th anniversary AI summit to discuss how artificial intelligence will transform project management and construction. Experts highlighted AI-powered project controls, digital twins, BIM, and robotics as key tools for improving efficiency and addressing challenges like stagnant productivity and labor shortages. HanmiGlobal also signed MOUs with the Technical University of Munich and Technion to advance construction AI research.

HanmiGlobal celebrates 30 years with global AI summit on project delivery, risk management HanmiGlobal, South Korea's leading construction project management company, marked its 30th anniversary Friday by convening global industry leaders to discuss how artificial intelligence will transform project management and the construction sector. The 2026 Global PM Summit, held at the Posco Center Art Hall in Seoul under the theme "Rewriting the Future of Global PM in the AI Era," focused on how emerging technologies can address mounting challenges facing the industry, including stagnant productivity, labor shortages, rising costs and increasingly complex projects. Industry experts highlighted AI-powered project controls, digital twins, building information modeling, or BIM, and robotics as key tools for improving efficiency, reducing risk and sustaining long-term competitiveness. HanmiGlobal Chairman Kim Jong-hoon said AI is already reshaping how projects are planned, executed and managed, but emphasized that human expertise will remain indispensable. "Technology alone cannot guarantee project success," Kim said, stressing that human judgment, insight and collaboration will continue to play a central role in project delivery. Delivering the keynote speech, David Whysall, chief operating officer of global project management and quantity surveying firm Turner & Townsend, argued that rapid AI adoption has become essential for the industry's future. "Our industry has to quickly embrace AI," Whysall said. "Organizations have to embrace AI if they want to be here in five years' time." He said AI has the potential to significantly improve productivity, attract younger talent and deliver greater value to clients beyond traditional efficiency gains. Whysall pointed to the emergence of AI agents as a major technological shift. Unlike conventional chatbots, AI agents can interact with software tools, reason through tasks and continuously learn from experience. "I look at AI as a work in progress today," he said. "If AI were a person, it might be an intern today. In a few years' time, it will be as capable as some of the experience that sits in this room." Turner & Townsend, which generates annual revenue of more than 5.7 billion pounds $7.5 billion , is investing heavily in technology and data capabilities as part of its growth strategy. Whysall said the company aims to build a leading data and knowledge platform to strengthen cost, schedule and risk management services while supporting future AI applications. He also noted that organizations must become more comfortable with experimentation and failure as technology adoption accelerates. "Technology projects have a high failure rate, but we're not used to that in project management," he said. "We have to learn, move on and fail fast." In a special lecture, Andre Borrmann of the Technical University of Munich highlighted how AI is accelerating the convergence of BIM, digital twins and robotics throughout the construction life cycle. He showcased AI tools capable of generating BIM models from text prompts, operating BIM software autonomously and analyzing site imagery alongside BIM data. Rafael Sacks of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology argued that AI could fundamentally reshape project management business models rather than simply improve operational efficiency. Future competitiveness, he said, will depend on leveraging project intent and site-status data to predict outcomes and deliver production control as a service. A panel discussion moderated by Yonsei University professor Lee Kang explored the evolving role of project managers, strategies for building data assets, standards for data sharing, AI return on investment and legal accountability for AI-driven decisions. HanmiGlobal also announced the signing of memorandums of understanding with the Technical University of Munich's construction AI research center and Technion's National Building Research Institute to pursue joint research projects and expand its global AI research network. shwang9@heraldcorp.com