Should construction companies sort out their data before using AI? Or can AI sort it out for them?

We put two heavyweights in the ring to fight it out.

In one corner: Dustin DeVan, one of the most decorated CEOs in construction tech. Exited Building Connected for $275M. Now running Ediphi. He's seen $400M liens and knows what happens when your data falls apart in litigation.

In the other corner: KP Reddy, serial entrepreneur, founder, investor, and the man with 48 career experiences on LinkedIn (yes, we counted). He's backed by the biggest names in AEC and has been building stuff since he was a kid.

Dustin says get your house in order first. He's been through a $400M lien. Messy records in court? Not fun.

KP disagrees. Projects end, teams move on, data ends up everywhere. That's just how construction works. AI can make sense of the mess.

One thing they agreed on — Excel isn't going anywhere.

No punches pulled. No fluff.

Who won? You decide.

🎧 What's your take — do we need structured systems before AI, or can AI help us build structure from the chaos?

Our Sponsors:

Provision helps pre-construction teams find risks and scope gaps early so they can bid with confidence: https://www.provision.com/

Presented by Track3D - The first reality capture intelligence platform for smarter construction: https://track3d.ai/

HVAKR - Develop mechanical designs under budget and ahead of schedule: https://www.hvakr.com/

ALICE Technologies - Automates 'what-if' scenario exploration with AI — enabling you to rapidly test options, mitigate risk, and optimize schedules: https://www.alicetechnologies.com/home

Datagrid - Agentic AI that reads your docs, connects your tools, and gets the job done: https://datagrid.com/

00:00 Intro

01:00 Introduction to the Debate 

03:25 The System of Record: Centralized vs. Decentralized 

06:17 The Role of Language Models in Construction 

09:18 Understanding Systems of Record 

12:14 The Importance of Data Structure 

15:07 Ontology and Context in Construction 

17:58 The Expiry Date of Data 

21:10 Business Building and Venture Capital in AEC 

24:05 Excel vs. Cloud Tools 

26:54 The Value of Historical Data 

30:08 Defensibility in Business Models 

33:10 Conclusion and Final Thoughts