Being first isn't the goal. Being right is.

Lenny's Newsletter recently shared an article by Elena Verna titled "Please Stop the AI Confidence Theater." It hit me harder than I expected. I have to admit, I got caught up in some of it too. I even published about it.

I've told people that now was the time to adopt AI because I believed the biggest risk was being left behind. After months of building, testing, breaking things, fixing them, and testing again, my perspective has changed.

I still believe now is the time to start. Just not for the reason I originally thought. Don't start because you're afraid of missing out. Start because now is the right time to learn.

Especially in MEP construction. The work we do demands caution. It demands discipline. It demands repeatable results. If we get it wrong, the consequences aren't just bad software. They're rework, schedule impacts, margin erosion, stress on project teams. Real costs carried by real people.

Our approach today is simple. Start with one workflow. Measure the outcome. Did it improve the decision? Did it reduce rework? Did it reduce the burden on the people doing the work? If it didn't, figure out why. Adjust. Test again. That's not failure. That's engineering.

We have ambitious ideas about where Construction Intelligence is going. Scenario Mapping. Persistent Project Memory. Decision Intelligence. We'll get there. But we'll get there one validated workflow, one measurable outcome, one customer, and one project at a time.

Being first isn't the goal. Being right is.

I'd rather build something that construction professionals depend on every day than something that generates hype for a week.

Thank you, Lenny, for sharing Elena's article. It was a good reminder that progress is earned through evidence, not enthusiasm.

I'm curious how others are approaching this. What measurable outcome would convince you that a new way of working is worth adopting?

tellus@hc-build.com