Chatting GPT

AI Implementation in Construction: A Conversation with Charlie Corcoran of SISK

In this episode of Chatting GPT, host Maryrose founder of the AI Institute, sits down with Charlie Corcoran, Head of Technology, Architecture, and Data at Sisk. They discuss the gradual integration of AI in the construction industry, emphasising productivity improvements, operational efficiency, and data management. Charlie shares insights into specific AI applications within Sis, including their internal intranet, safety data analysis, and the use of computer vision. They also talk about navigating the challenges of AI adoption, addressing shadow AI, and the importance of user groups in fostering AI literacy and collaboration within the organisation. Tune in to learn how AI is reshaping the construction sector and the strategies that are making this transformation possible.

Show Notes
Guest: Charlie Corcoran, Head of Technology, Architecture and Data, Sisk

00:00 Introduction
00:38 The Role of AI in Construction
02:11 Prioritising AI Projects
03:20 Real-World AI Applications
06:16 AI Adoption Challenges and Solutions
08:42 Shadow AI and Data Security
11:42 Maximising Productivity with AI
18:16 Advice for AI Implementation

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Breffni Greene spent 10 years as a practicing architect at Henry J Lyons before spotting ChatGPT on screens across the studio—line managers had no idea their teams were using it. Shadow AI was rampant. Rather than crack down, he convinced leadership to create a new role: Head of AI and Design Innovation. The taboo was real—colleagues worried AI would erase their writing skills and creative thinking. But once people found their hook, everything changed. The managing director discovered new prompting techniques. Junior staff transformed messy interview transcripts into publishable narratives using 11 Labs. Report writing shifted from painful compliance to creative storytelling. Since December, they've processed 500 million tokens at 0.17 cents per message using OmniChat's multi-model platform.
Breffni's 2035 vision? Sitting with his moleskin and pen, drawing architecture, knowing the mundane work is handled—proof humans didn't lose to machines.

Show Notes
Guest: Breffni Greene, Head of AI and Design Innovation, Henry J Lyons Architects

Key Topics:
[03:09] Shadow AI discovery - ChatGPT on screens across the studio, line managers unaware, the catalyst for Breffni's role.
[04:28] Breaking the taboo - AI was genuinely taboo in architecture. Concerns about losing writing skills and creative language.
[04:55] Individual wins matter - Even the managing director discovers new techniques. People must find how AI fits their own work.
[06:22] The book project - 11 Labs identified voices in messy transcripts, enabling authentic conversational narratives with proper citations.
[09:13] Transcription workflows - Talking through building concepts naturally, then structuring compliance documentation while preserving creative passion.
[24:18] 500 million tokens at 0.17 cents - Massive volume, minimal cost using multi-model strategy via OmniChat platform.
[24:41] Meet Henry - Firm-specific AI persona. GPT-4o for strategy, Claude Sonnet for analysis, Gemini Flash for documents.
[26:27] 2035 vision - Moleskin and pen in beautiful urban space, knowing mundane work is handled. Humans still create value.

Key Takeaways:
Shadow AI signals appetite, not a problem to eliminate
Cultural change requires individual wins, not platform rollouts
Multi-model strategies improve cost efficiency dramatically
Authentic voice matters more when AI generates generic content

Connect: LinkedIn - Breffni Greene
Replay from 2025.. Breffni's cultural transformation blueprint remains essential.
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We're already cyborgs—our phones are extensions of our minds. But 2.7 billion people remain in digital darkness. Dr Lollie Mancey, digital anthropologist and RTÉ Futureville co-presenter, challenges the notion that AI will free us to paint in meadows. Reality? Jobs will vanish, universal basic income may arrive, and we'll face a purpose crisis when work no longer defines us. She poses the era's defining question: when your AI assistant comes home, is it at your table or recharging in the garage? Your answer reveals how you see technology's role. She's betting 80% on AGI by 2030—not gradual progress, but desperate need for higher intelligence. From 1950s washing machines to ChatGPT, labour-saving tools never save time—they shift expectations. The future isn't written, and AI won't decide our fate—we will.

Show Notes
Guest: Dr Lollie Mancey
Title: Digital Anthropologist, Co-presenter of RTÉ's Futureville

Key Topics:
[01:46] Humans plus technology, not instead of - Why AI isn't pixie dust to sprinkle on everything. Anthropologists are finally having their moment as the human element becomes critical.
[03:05] 2.7 billion in digital darkness - Who's missing from the AI conversation? Ireland's bubble makes us forget vast populations have no internet access.
[04:23] Who benefits from time saved? - Will employers reward productivity over hours? The washing machine didn't free women from housework—it just changed expectations.
[06:17] Universal basic income and purposelessness - When manual labour vanishes, what happens to identity? Two-generation unemployment creates malaise, addiction, depression. The pension (€270/week) is our only test case.
[07:10] The 1970s leisure prediction - Someone walked into a Dublin classroom and wrote "leisure time vs work time" on the blackboard. Were they right? Will we choose to work, or will the choice be made for us?
[26:31] AGI by 2030: 80% odds - Lollie's bold prediction: artificial general intelligence within six years, triggered by an unsolvable crisis requiring higher brain power.
[27:21] The interruption problem - New voice AI that interrupts changes everything. If you're rude to ChatGPT, are you training yourself to be rude to humans?
[28:08] At the table or in the garage? - The defining question: where does your AI companion belong? Younger generations already see them as household members, not machinery.
[29:28] The invasive technology concern - Why Lollie and neuroscience professors agree: don't open the hard box protecting our soft brains unless absolutely necessary.

Key Takeaways:
We're passive cyborgs now; we need to become active by understanding algorithms
The future of work isn't about productivity gains—it's about identity reconstruction
AI adoption without considering the 2.7 billion offline is incomplete thinking
Your answer to "table or garage?" reveals your entire worldview on technology
Labour-saving tools historically shift work, they don't eliminate it

Resources:
Futureville - RTÉ programme imagining Ireland in 2050
Connect with Lollie: drlollie.ie | LinkedIn: Dr Lollie (L-O-L-L-I-E)
Podcast: Available at drlollie.ie

Chatting GPT is produced by AI Institute. For AI adoption in built environment firms, visit https://weareaiinstitute.com/
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When Allan Russell joined Musgraves as Head of AI and Process Automation, he thought the 147-year-old Irish retailer wasn't using much AI. Within weeks of his "roadshow" around the business, he'd uncovered 17 unauthorised applications—before even speaking to IT. Then the real numbers emerged: 300,000 hits to Grammarly in 30 days across just 1,700 office users. Shadow AI wasn't theoretical—it was rampant and ungovernanced. Rather than panic, Allan built a strategy around what people were already doing, rolling out Microsoft Copilot and establishing four pillars: process automation, AI, culture, and governance. His advice? Stop hesitating—your competitors are already using these tools. And never deploy AI without first talking to the people whose problems you're trying to solve.

Show Notes
Guest: Allan Russell, Head of AI and Process Automation, Musgraves
Key Topics:
[04:16] The shadow AI discovery - How an informal "roadshow" uncovered 17 AI applications before consulting IT.
[06:44] 300,000 Grammarly hits - Network data revealed 300,000 Grammarly hits in 30 days across 1,700 users, plus 1,200 ChatGPT hits.
[08:02] Four foundational pillars - Process automation and AI supported by culture and governance. Why psychological safety matters as much as guardrails.
[10:32] Rolling out Microsoft Copilot - Why starting with enterprise solutions beat playing whack-a-mole with shadow IT.
[23:32] Two pieces of advice - (1) Don't hesitate—competitors are already moving. (2) Understand pain points first. Design thinking beats technology-first thinking.
[24:57] Beyond internal consumers - What's next: recipe managers, price optimisation, identifying opportunities across Musgraves' franchisee ecosystem.

Key Takeaways:
Quantify your shadow AI problem through network traffic analysis
Relationship capital precedes technical deployment
Start with pain points, not platforms
Governance enables speed by giving people permission to experiment safely

Connect: LinkedIn - Allan J Russell

Replay of a 2024 episode. Allan's blueprint for managing shadow AI remains one of the clearest roadmaps we've covered.
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When Munich's citizens were invited to reimagine one of their main streets using AI, the results didn't just sit in a presentation deck—they were actually built. Damiano Cerrone, founder of Urbanist AI and Co-Plan AI, has worked with over 80 organisations worldwide to transform how cities engage with their residents. Instead of traditional surveys asking "what do you want?", his platforms let people visualise, evaluate, and iterate on urban design ideas in real-time. The twist? Damiano argues AI models should be biased—tuned to each participant's perspective—because that's what makes collaboration meaningful. From training Eastern European mayors to test policies with generative AI, to working with the UN Development Programme and Dubai's Prime Minister's office, he's pioneering what he calls "collaborative public governance." The challenge ahead: making European city centres attractive to humans again after decades of infrastructure-led dehumanisation.

Guest: Damiano Cerrone
Company: Urbanist AI & Co-Plan AI
Location: Helsinki, Finland

Key Topics Discussed
[02:02] Munich's streets transformed
How a citizens' engagement process during a festival led to an AI-imagined green space and water feature being built as a prototype on one of Munich's main streets.
[03:29] Training mayors in Eastern Europe
Working with the UN Development Programme to help mayors use generative AI to evaluate and test their own policies—compressing months of work into rapid visualisation cycles.
[05:33] The collaboration vs. replacement question
Why cities are asking "why engage people when we can simulate engagement with AI agents?"—and Damiano's response: treating AI as a billion colleagues, not a billion replacements.
[08:37] When what people want is wrong
How AI enables people to evaluate their own ideas by seeing them visualised, leading to minds being changed through the process itself rather than being told "no" by experts.
[16:38] Embracing bias in AI models
Damiano's contrarian stance: models should be tuned to individual participants' biases because that's what creates interesting, fruitful conversations—not sterile consensus.
[18:13] The mega-trend for European cities
Why attracting human beings back to dehumanised city centres is the biggest urban challenge ahead, following the post-COVID exodus.

Resources Mentioned
Urbanist AI: site.urbanistai.com
CityLab Berlin: Monthly neighbourhood engagement programme (Kids Lab)
Futureville (RTÉ): Irish television series imagining Athlone in 2050
Connect with Damiano: LinkedIn

For Built Environment Professionals
Damiano's work demonstrates how participatory AI can close the gap between consultation and implementation—particularly relevant for architecture practices, engineering consultancies, and planning departments struggling with meaningful stakeholder engagement. His platforms have been adopted by governments worldwide, proving that citizen-generated spatial ideas can move from digital visualisation to physical intervention.

Chatting GPT is produced by AI Institute. If you're interested in AI adoption for built environment firms, visit https://weareaiinstitute.com/
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