This year’s construction expos have been studded with high-profile rollouts of intelligent machines from the likes of Komatsu and Caterpillar, including excavators, haul trucks, dozers and loaders—all powered by autonomous technology and smart software systems offering real-time data on progress, performance and productivity.
At this year’s CONEXPO-CON/AGG, autonomous equipment and AI-enabled machinery emerged as one of the industry’s hottest topics, dominating product showcases and conversations about the future of the jobsite. Industry experts told Construction Executive that the transformation this will usher in for the construction industry extends far beyond the specs and capabilities of new equipment: Once scaled, it has the potential to make construction work safer, more efficient and more possible for a broader pool of workers, at a time when lack of skilled talent remains a bottleneck for firms of all sizes. Mines, ports and build sites are soon to be where the rubber meets the road as humans collaborate with robotic fleets—a shift which requires firms to help workers develop new skills to keep up with fast-changing tech.
“We’re seeing rapid growth in technologies that change how people learn as much as how they work,” says Lisa Strite, chief learning officer at the National Center for Construction Education & Research, pointing to evolution in building information modeling in workflows, digital layout tools, equipment telematics and jobsite guidance supported by augmented reality tech.
Here’s what leaders should know about developments in autonomous construction, the changes they’ll bring about on jobsites and in the workforce, and how companies can start evolving now to make the most of these technologies.
WHAT’S NEW OR CHANGING SOON?
While automated functions and teleoperation have been increasingly integrated into equipment in recent years, developments in autonomous technology— which is capable of operating with or without a human manning the controls—are progressing in ways that will trickle down to jobsites, according to John Somers, vice president of the construction and utility sector for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.
While human oversight will still be critical to safety and success, these technologies are now ready for more dynamic, unstructured work environments, Somers says. They’re able to ease the load of time-consuming tasks like earth moving, material handling and site coordination.
“If you don’t have anybody to operate the machine but you still need work done, it’s a great time to not have to have somebody in the cab,” says Somers.
Advancements in hardware, software and cost efficiency are combining to make a broader array of technologies possible.
There’s been a decline in costs for critical sensors and leaps in edge computing, which allows the processing of data locally where it is gathered. Closer proximity to data at its sources “can deliver strong business benefits, including faster insights, improved response times and better bandwidth availability,” according to IBM—immediacy which has obvious benefits for real-time, high-stakes decision making on jobsites.
An influx of funding into autonomous heavy equipment is boosting progress: Venture capital investment in construction tech hit a record high of $2.6 billion in 2025, a 63% year-over-year increase as more top firms direct talent toward embodied AI and retrofit platforms for heavy equipment, according to Silicon Valley Bank.
Improvements in vision-based AI are making it possible to navigate tricky environments without use of lidar: In January, Heidelberg Materials announced that it had successfully used a mixed-fleet autonomous hauling system from Komatsu and Caterpillar to move over two million tons of limestone at its quarry in Lake Bridgeport, Texas.
The integration of AI into equipment software systems is also changing the game. Through a collaboration with NVIDIA, Caterpillar recently introduced autonomy and AI assistant technology to machines such as excavators, dozers, compactors, loaders and haul trucks, which it says will help make jobsites safer and more productive.
Bedrock Robotics is developing systems that make it possible to modernize “fleets contractors already own,” according to Laurent Hautefeuille, Bedrock’s chief operating officer, “turning existing heavy equipment into autonomous machines through a fully reversible upfit that takes a couple of hours.”
The company is starting with excavators, Hautefeuille explains, because they’re constrained by a shortage of skilled operators despite being “among the most complex machines on any jobsite, with six or more degrees of freedom, significant variability in soil conditions and several years of experience required to operate with precision.”
Hautefeuille says the system will offer contractors a real-time window into what’s happening on jobsites through “production data, machine performance, cycle counts,” all information that traditionally has been logged manually, living in spreadsheets or on clipboards.
Michael Gidaspow, chief digital officer at Komatsu, says the company has been trying to make “contractors’ hard work easier” by translating autonomous tech from mining to construction, through both software and heavy equipment like autonomous haul trucks.
“Autonomous construction equipment is a journey and as we progress toward a fully autonomous site,” says Gidaspow, “we see machine technology and jobsite technology as the first steps.”
Regarding Komatsu’s most recent line of intelligent equipment, Gidaspow says: “While these machines have operators, you see more automation in these machines and you can use the automation more often.”
For instance, a utility model in its new excavator improved trenching operations “by helping ensure that the machine is always centered over the planned trench and by helping you always come back to the center of the trench after dumping a bucket into a truck,” Gidaspow says. And through My Komatsu, the company’s centralized digital hub, “customers can get all of their key machine information and jobsite information in one spot.”
While the biggest change is coming in fully autonomous equipment, advancements in remote operation—where a human controls a machine from a safe distance—have also made it more accessible and cost effective.
“When you look at remote operation, you can do it from almost anywhere,” says Gidaspow.
HOW WILL THIS SHAPE HOW WORK IS DONE AND WHO CAN DO IT?
These leaps in technology are “helping make construction careers more accessible by reducing some physical barriers and placing greater value on problem-solving and digital fluency,” according to Strite, “which allows training programs to engage a broader population of learners with different strengths.”
Expansion of the construction labor force is essential at a time when the industry needs to attract roughly 349,000 net new workers in 2026 to meet demand for construction services, according to analysis from Associated Builders and Contractors. And with construction spending growth poised to rebound for the first time in years in 2027, the industry will need to bring in 456,000 net new workers to meet demand, ABC projects.
Potential to transform what a construction role can look like and who can do it is one of the reasons that “autonomy is one of the most compelling workforce development stories the industry has had in decades,” in Hautefeuille’s opinion.
For excavators, for instance, it takes five years of trade school and nearly a decade working in the trades to “reach real proficiency,” Hautefeuille notes, a significant time commitment that can also be a turn-off to younger workers. Safety concerns also contribute to the industry’s recruitment challenges, he says, given “the high risk of injury or death, especially relative to most other industries.”
But going forward, as machines can absorb more demanding, repetitive and dangerous tasks, and proficiency in technology becomes indispensable, Hautefeuille says, “the job starts to look less like years of grinding physical repetition and more like operating and orchestrating intelligent machines.”
He continues: “People who may never have considered construction before will be drawn to new jobs on construction sites as a result of the infusion of technology, and experienced employees can shift to other, fine-grained aspects of building that require a human touch, leveraging their expertise to the fullest.”
One of the benefits of more tasks becoming mechanized and less laborious is that workers may be able to have longer careers that take less of a physical toll over the course of their lives, according to Vinz Koller, vice president of the Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning at Jobs for the Future, a national nonprofit.
For those joining the construction field during this shift toward automation, Koller says, “We still see a large growth in the number of job classifications and the active recruitment” in years to come. But there will still be certain roles consisting mostly of tasks which are not yet able to be automated.
“Rule-based physical tasks that can be standardized, they’re likely going to be taken over by machines over time,” Koller says. “If you think of an electrician, it’s very hard to automate a lot of tasks an electrician does because they’re not very predictable or rule based.”
Ty Findley, co-founder of Ironspring Ventures, which invests in early-stage companies in construction, manufacturing and more, says he believes “this evolved occupation definitely will help recruit the next generation who are already digitally inclined and see this as an attractive skilled-occupation path.”
And for more experienced workers, Findley adds, “Allowing those amazing skilled operators to evolve their occupations into digitally oriented supervisory roles watching over multiple machines at one time is a great outcome.”
HOW WILL AUTONOMOUS TECH IMPACT THE BOTTOM LINE?
According to Hautefeuille, as a greater variety of autonomous technologies become more accessible for family shops and big firms alike, they can expect to see benefits on schedule compression and quality.
Progress can be made more quickly by extending productive hours and reducing unexpected downtime by incorporating effective automation, and “faster projects mean earlier completion, reduced carrying costs and the ability to take on more work with the same team,” he says. And because “autonomous systems operate with a consistency that’s hard to maintain over a long shift,” gradual gains in consistency will ultimately “translate into fewer errors and less remediation—which is where a lot of margin gets lost on complex projects.”
Companies that make the most of these technologies should also be able to grow their capacity, Hautefeuille says, because “the companies that figure out how to scale using autonomy will be able to bid and build more work than their current headcount would otherwise allow.”
“Contractors who move early will have a real competitive advantage when it comes to winning and delivering large projects,” he predicts.
Somers says that companies looking to explore these technologies would be well-served by looking at their workforce issues and seeing if new tools might be able to ease the load, as opposed to “finding the solution and looking for the problem.”
“If you don’t have enough people to run a compaction roller, then look into automated rollers,” he suggests. Or, in potentially dangerous environments such as demolitions or underground mine sites, take advantage of advancements in remote tech. “Why put somebody in a potentially hazardous situation?”
The best return on investment for these technologies will generally come when they’re used to solve a sticky issue on a jobsite, according to Gidaspow, such as fuel usage or scheduling issues.
While autonomous tech can help optimize any job, it is “most beneficial on the most challenging jobs,” he added.
“When challenges arise, the technology can shine,” Gidaspow says. “It can help you get back on track more quickly and make more educated decisions.”
WHAT ARE POTENTIAL BOTTLENECKS?
Gidaspow stresses that integrating automation is a complex process: “Automating the machines is one part of it, but making sure that the machines do the right things is another part—and then there is the change-management piece.”
Although “construction technology hasn’t always been easy to adopt,” Gidaspow says, Komatsu is “actively trying to fix that issue by making our tools more user friendly and making sure that they all work together.” By combining smarter software with more advanced autonomous equipment, “bringing these types of tools together allows you to operate the machines much more efficiently with more novice operators,” says Gidaspow.
“We created technology to allow the operator to move material more quickly. Then you use the jobsite technology tools to be able to make better decisions based on the overall progress of the job,” Gidaspow says. “That means that you get more precise machines and technology that allows you to make better decisions.”
Cost may be a barrier to early adoption for some firms, but autonomous technologies also have the potential to lower operating costs by making it easier to complete arduous work more quickly with fewer human hands needed throughout the process.
Nurturing talent that can make the most of these tools will be critical, with capability development “becoming a competitive advantage,” Strite notes.
“Organizations are seeing the strongest returns when they treat training as part of the technology investment, rather than an afterthought,” Strite said. “When workers understand both the tool and the underlying workflow, companies experience faster adoption, fewer errors and more consistent productivity gains.”
HOW CAN COMPANIES PREPARE NOW?
For executives, “the planning horizon for this is closer than most people think,” says Hautefeuille, noting that the necessary groundwork will take some time, given the magnitude of change required to get up to speed.
“If you’re not thinking now about how autonomous-capable machines fit into your company strategy, you may find yourself behind,” he cautions. The contractors who will benefit most from this technology are the ones building relationships with it early—understanding how it integrates into their workflows, training their teams and getting comfortable with what it can do.”
As more new technology becomes available, one of the biggest challenges for firms will be “ensuring training keeps pace with how quickly tools and workflows evolve,” Strite predicts. Companies can be ready to meet the moment by designing “learning pathways that are modular, stackable and closely aligned to real job tasks.”
By embedding learning into everyday work, firms can “prevent skills gaps from slowing adoption,” she adds.
“Employers are increasingly requesting training that builds digital confidence alongside craft expertise, including interpreting model-based plans, using connected equipment interfaces and understanding data generated on jobsites,” Strite says. “There is also growing interest in simulation-based learning and testing that allows workers to practice skills in lower-risk environments.”
As more of the construction work of the future becomes done on computers, Somers says it will be essential to make sure the workers nearing the end of their careers—skilled machine operators, superintendents, foremen—pass on knowledge “as soon as possible” about topics like machine maintenance and other tasks that are best understood after years of hands-on experience.
Before companies really jump into this, they need to get those newer folks up to speed,” Somers says, pointing to the possible dangers of having future generations of workers spend more of their time away from jobsites. “Maybe they’re in the office looking at equipment telematics data, looking for workflow challenges or analytics on predicting when a machine needs maintenance. They might not understand the impact if they don’t act on that stuff.”
