Artificial intelligence isn’t creeping into construction, it’s crashing in at full speed. And according to Alex Teplitxky, we’re not just optimizing workflows anymore… we’re redefining what counts as human work.
In this episode of Human Work After AI hosted by Chris Fanchi, Alex breaks down the rapid adoption of AI in construction, why the industry hit a tipping point in 2025, and what happens when a single analyst can suddenly manage 7-8 projects instead of three. He also goes deep on the existential side: mechanical “parallel humanity,” superintelligence risks, and why workers are fleeing white-collar roles for the trades.
This is one of the most candid conversations yet about how AI is reshaping not only labor markets, but humanity itself.
🔥 Key Themes
- Why construction went from “AI is cute” to “AI is essential” practically overnight
- The real economic impact: when one person can do the work of an entire team
- Agentic AI and the shift toward company-owned internal agents
- Why young workers are abandoning office jobs for skilled trades
- The boundary between “organic humanity” and “mechanical humanity”
- Alex’s optimism (creative empowerment, mobility) and deepest fears (superintelligence, extinction risk)
📌 Chapters
00:00 – Can we create a “parallel mechanical humanity”?
01:30 – Alex’s background: Silicon Valley summers & the pull of tech
02:44 – Getting into construction tech
11:24 – Why digitizing construction is so hard
12:35 – What SmartPM actually solves
15:51 – Why AI + math is the real engine of project controls
18:21 – The origins of generative scheduling
19:30 – How construction attitudes toward AI flipped almost overnight
22:30 – Agentic AI and internal company-built agents
24:17 – Data control, privacy, and the rise of proprietary AI
25:07 – Is AI augmentation… or quiet job elimination?
26:27 – Workers fleeing office jobs for the trades
27:48 – The coming “AI layoffs” nobody wants to say out loud
28:50 – Will human judgment remain essential?
30:41 – Are humans just organic algorithms?
31:53 – Automation, safety, and where society goes next
32:40 – Alex’s optimism: self-driving lifestyle & creative empowerment
33:35 – Alex’s fears: superintelligence and existential risk
36:30 – Could AI already be hiding from us?
37:13 – The positive and dark sides of our AI future
38:03 – Where to find Alex & SmartPM
📚 Resources
SmartPM - https://www.smartpm.com
Connect with Alex on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexteplitxky/
AI Transition Management Consulting with Chris Fanchi - https://bignorthnetwork.com/
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#AI #FutureOfWork #ConstructionTech #SmartPM #Automation #AgenticAI #HumanWorkAfterAI