#318 Olek Paraska: How AI Is Fixing the Biggest Bottleneck in Construction

Construction is one of the least digitized industries in the world, and not because it resists technology. It resists bad technology. In this episode of Eye on AI, Craig Smith sits down with Olek Paraska, CTO of Togal AI, to break down why construction productivity has barely improved in 50 years and why pre-construction is the real bottleneck holding the industry back. Olek explains how most estimating and takeoff work is still done manually, why automating this phase can unlock massive efficiency gains, and how AI works best in construction when it acts as a perception and reasoning layer rather than a replacement for human judgment. The conversation explores computer vision, agentic AI, human-in-the-loop systems, and why respecting real-world constraints is essential for AI to deliver real ROI. It also looks ahead to a future where floor plans, materials, costs, and constructability can be reasoned about together, long before construction begins. This episode is a deep dive into how AI can finally move construction forward by solving the right problems, in the right order. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X: https://x.com/craigssEye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI (00:00) Why Construction Is Desperate for Better AI (01:06) Olek's Path From Software to Construction (02:17) Why Construction Productivity Has Stalled for Decades (04:33) The Pre-Construction Bottleneck No One Talks About (06:17) How Takeoffs Are Still Done Manually (09:15) Why Construction Rejects Bad Technology (11:18) How Togal Found the Right Problem to Solve (12:14) From Computer Vision to Reasoning AI (17:44) What Agentic AI Looks Like in Pre-Construction (20:59) Turning Floor Plans Into Materials and Costs (28:18) The Real ROI of AI for Contractors (47:11) The Long-Term Vision for AI in Construction