If you’re anything like me, you’ve just about had your fill of hearing how "artificial intelligence will change your life."

Everywhere you turn, someone’s selling a new way to automate, optimize, or revolutionize the world — whether you asked for it or not. It’s kind of like being told you’re doing laundry wrong after 30 years at the creek: “Sure, this soap powder works wonders!” they say… but all you can think is, "my clothes are already clean."

So why are we writing another email about AI?

In the real world, poor communication accounts for 52% of rework in construction projects, resulting in millions of dollars spent annually correcting errors stemming from communication failures and a lack of organization.

Who pays for that?

Experts note a growing link between rework and legal action, driven by rising project complexity and stricter regulations. Delays, increased costs, and defects often lead to litigation. Academic studies show that many rework-causing factors, such as design errors, omissions, and communication failures, also commonly result in legal claims.

Would you be against exploring solutions specifically designed for professionals who build things that exist in the real world?

Let us introduce our newest AIBD Corporate Industry Partner — Cogram — an AI platform designed exclusively for architects, engineers, and builders. Not for software developers, not for data scientists. For people like us.

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Cogram helps you take care of the stuff that eats up hours of productive time, in the office and on the job site.

Assistant

Cogram’s Assistant isn’t just a chatbot—it’s trained on the language, documentation, and workflows of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC).

• Benefit: It can answer technical questions, analyze project documents, and provide context-specific recommendations using information from your own portfolio and templates.​
• Importance: This relevance ensures staff spend less time searching for reference documents or precedent projects, reducing ramp-up and review times for new team members or project types.​
• Sample Prompt: What is the minimum cover for #5 bars at a slab edge in exposure class F3?

Email Management

Automate your filing, organizing, and searching project emails, using Cogram to understand project context and filing rules.

• Benefit: Project emails (including those buried in endless threads) are automatically routed to the proper folders, indexed for quick search, and linked to related project content.​
• Importance: This frees up valuable admin hours, ensures critical information isn’t lost or siloed, and helps staff quickly surface decisions or commitments—all vital for defending a firm if issues arise or scope questions return months later.​
• Sample Prompt: From Monday's OAC and follow-up emails for Skyrise, list decisions, owners, and due date.

RFI & Submittal Management

Integrate with Procore and other tools, streamlining the logging, review, and routing of RFIs and submittals.

• Benefit: RFIs and submittals are logged quickly, with details automatically extracted for review and historical tracking.​
• Importance: This reduces turnaround times, minimizes costly errors or delays, and centralizes records for transparency and claims defense—crucial for managing risk and maintaining client trust.​
• Sample Prompt: Show open RFIs that mention curtain wall anchors for Skyrise.

Meeting Minutes

Automate the capture of meeting minutes using your templates, whether meetings are virtual or in-person.

• Benefit: Action items, decisions, and important discussions are captured, formatted in your standard layout, and ready for distribution almost immediately.​
• Importance: This keeps everyone on the same page, allows designers to focus on the meeting rather than note-taking, and supports clear communication with clients, consultants, and contractors.​
• Sample Prompt: From Monday's OAC and follow-up emails for Skyrise, list decisions, owners, and due dates.

Field Reports

Verbally record observations, snap photos, and draft field reports in firm-specific templates instantly.

• Benefit: Observations from jobsite visits can be dictated on the go and automatically structured into consistent, professional reports.​
• Importance: This not only saves field staff time but also ensures that records are thorough, accessible, and consistent. This protects you in the event of issues long after a project is completed.​
• Sample Prompt: Response draft for submittal 08 44 13-12: Approve as Noted, attach punch items from the last walk.

Project Proposals

Generate tailored RFP responses by leveraging your firm’s portfolio, previous wins, and knowledge base.

• Benefit: Proposals are drafted with project-specific examples and language, closely aligned with client needs and the firm's prior experience.​
• Importance: The difference between winning and losing an RFP often comes down to turnaround speed and nuanced, targeted content. Cogram helps deliver both.
• Sample Prompt: Generate a project proposal in response to the Skyrise RFP using our firm’s portfolio, previous winning proposals, and knowledge base.

And unlike the “big-tech” AI products, Cogram actually understands construction language.

They’re already integrated with familiar tools like Procore, Deltek, Autodesk Construction Cloud, and even Outlook.

We’re excited to have them join our AIBD family and equally excited for you to meet them.

If you’ve been waiting for someone to offer technology that’s more jobsite than sci-fi, this is your chance to see it in action.

• Webinar: How leading firms use AEC-specific AI to streamline project work
• Date & Time: November 13, 2026, from 3:00 to 4:00 pm ET
• Cost: Free
• Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1514395199366126172

They might just convince you that soap powder isn’t such a bad idea after all.

Sincerely,

Joey Martin, Chairman

AIBD Membership Committee

P.S. - Get a head start and schedule a private demonstration at https://calendly.com/alex-julian-ottie-cogram/cogram-live-demo-with-alex