Digital Builder

Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we work—but until recently, its capabilities were limited by context. Enter Model Context Protocol (MCP), a new standard that’s changing the game by enabling AI agents to connect directly with external tools and data sources.

In this episode of Digital Builder, host Eric Thomas sits down with Ben Cochran, Vice President of Engineering at Autodesk, to demystify MCPs and explore what they mean for construction workflows. Recorded live at Autodesk University 2025 in Nashville, this conversation dives into why MCPs are generating so much buzz and how they’re unlocking new levels of efficiency across the industry.

We discuss:

• What MCPs are and how they differ from traditional APIs
• Why MCPs are accelerating AI adoption across connected ecosystems
• Practical use cases for MCPs in construction, from BIM validation to design optimization
• How MCPs reduce repetitive tasks and enable outcome-based workflows
• Where to start if you’re curious about MCPs and agentic tools

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk.

Preconstruction is evolving faster than ever—and it’s changing what it means to plan and price projects. In this episode of Digital Builder, host Eric Thomas sits down with Jose Gudiño, Manager of Construction Technology at Swinerton, and Jeff Gerardi, Director of Preconstruction Strategy at Autodesk, to explore how technology, data, and AI are reshaping the preconstruction landscape.

Recorded live at Autodesk University 2025 in Nashville, this conversation dives into the challenges of fragmented workflows, the rise of connected platforms, and what the next generation of preconstruction professionals can expect.

We discuss:

• How preconstruction workflows have shifted from spreadsheets to integrated, data-driven systems
• Why tool overload is an industry-wide problem—and how to solve it
• The growing role of AI in takeoffs, cost analysis, and constructability reviews
• How mentorship and technology are redefining career paths in preconstruction
• What the estimator’s role will look like in 5–10 years

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk.

Sustainability in construction has long been a topic of discussion—but the nature of that conversation is changing. In this episode, host Eric Thomas sits down with Joe Speicher, Chief Sustainability Officer at Autodesk, and Allison Scott, Director of Sustainability Growth and Engagement, to explore how the industry is shifting from aspirational goals to operational strategies.

Recorded live at Autodesk University 2025 in Nashville, this conversation dives into how firms are turning sustainability promises into measurable outcomes, and the role technology plays in enabling that transformation.

We discuss:

• How sustainability has become a data problem—and why that’s a good thing
• The importance of connected construction and digital threads
• The environmental impact of AI and how to deploy it responsibly
• Why data centers are at the heart of the sustainability conversation
• How Autodesk is helping customers operationalize sustainability across the built environment

Assets mentioned during the episode:

• A Guide to Alignment in the Built Environment

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk.

Join our host Eric Thomas live from Nashville, Tennessee, as he reflects on hosting over 130 episodes of Autodesk's Digital Builder podcast. Eric covers 5 key takeaways from his discussions with industry leaders and reflects on some of the biggest announcements from Autodesk University this year.

Change orders have long been a necessary evil plaguing every construction project, but they often cause mountains of paperwork, hours of lost productivity, and millions in lost revenue. Cameron Page, Founder & CEO at Clearstory, believes that change orders may not be going anywhere, but the chaos around them can be fixed.  

We sat down with Cameron in San Francisco to learn about his unconventional career journey, his perspective on innovation in the AEC space, advice to would-be founders, and how Clearstory is evolving the narrative around change orders. 

We discuss: 

• Common misconceptions with change orders 
• How innovation is affecting change order frequency 
• Types of change orders and where they go wrong 
• How better change order processes strengthen subcontractor relationships 
• The need for new approaches to change orders 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

Without a strong data management workflow bolstered by clean data, quick assessment and good decision making can quickly become a game of chance.This means potentially losing millions of dollars through inaccurate records, inconsistent data management, and data lost across multiple platforms.  

That’s why we sat down with Tom Reno, the co-founder of Agave, a customizable platform helping AEC contractors integrate their project management data and accounting data. 

 We discuss: 

• Misconceptions about integrations 
• Best practices for cleaning data 
• The risks of keeping unreliable data 
• What to look for in data integrations vendors 
• How to create a strong vendor partnership 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

Construction changes lives. It impacts the way we live, the way we interact with our peers, influences our education, and defines our personal relationships. Perhaps few have a more integral understanding than Ron Arana, Managing Partner at Arana Group, who we sat down with in San Francisco to explore how he has intentionally sought local partnerships and projects and those efforts transform not only his community, but his own life, too.  

Arana Group is a San Francisco-based general building contractor specializing in public works, tenant improvements, and building upgrades that works with public agencies, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations across the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Here's what we cover: 

• The importance of local partnerships for workforce development 
• Protecting and preserving purpose-built, local projects once they’re complete 
• Vetting and sourcing subcontractors to meet regulatory requirements 
• The personal impact of a strong community-driven approach 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

From acquiring enough capital to finding the right customer, AEC startups have a number of obstacles standing in their way, but with an industry-wide explosion of new technology, there has also never been so much opportunity for those companies to flourish. 

In this episode, we are talking all things VC funding in the AEC industry with Alice Leung, Principal at Brick & Mortar Ventures. With career experience in construction, Alice brings a fresh, blended perspective to the conversation to explore what VC firms look for in potential startups to invest in, how startups can differentiate themselves, and how to get involved yourself and help build the future of construction. 

We discuss: 

• The relationship between tech adoption and the culture of construction 
• Current challenges facing AEC startups  
• How to connect startups with the right potential customers 
• How angel investing is impacting startups 
• Where AEC startups should put their focus right now 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

This episode was originally published on March 26, 2024.

The rise of Gen AI has put organizations in a race to remain competitive. Those who are successfully integrating AI into their processes are seeing improvements in efficiency and output quality, but that rush to adopt AI carries some significant risks, ones that can spell disaster for companies if they are not careful about their approach to using AI.  

We've invited May Winfield, Global Director of Commercial, Legal and Digital Risks, at Buro Happold, to reveal what some of the biggest risks are when using Gen AI, what questions organizations should be asking as they adopt AI, and why sometimes the best way to move quickly is to slow down. 

We discuss: 

• Identifying AI’s five biggest risk categories in AEC: reliance, confidentiality, copyright, personal data, and ethics 
• Why copyright and content attribution are such tricky issues with AI 
• The limitations of using in-house AI models trained on proprietary data 
• Why client requests are becoming more informed and specific (and why this is good!) 

Assets Mentioned: 

• Joint Study from the Harvard Business School & Boston Consulting Group 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk.

This episode was originally released on March 5, 2024.

Content warning – this episode and description has some heavy conversation topics including a discussion on suicidal feelings and mental health struggles. 

Construction has a mental health crisis. According to research from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and the CDC, the rate of suicide among US construction professionals is five times higher than the number deaths caused by workplace and safety-related accidents. Across the industry, companies cannot afford to talk about safety, innovation, and growth without also addressing the need for real, practical, and immediate solutions to the mental health crisis facing our people.  

Mark Dyke, Licensed Professional Counselor and Tenured Associate Professor at Ferris State University, joins Eric Thomas during Autodesk University for an intensely practical conversation about the mental health crisis, burnout, and how addressing the mental health crisis can help secure a bright future for the AEC industry. We will share not just why mental health needs to be addressed, but we will also give specific, practical advice for workers to identify and address mental health issues early and effectively. 

We discuss: 

• How to identify internal and external symptoms of burnout 
• How the leadership culture sets the tone for organization-wide mental health 
• How managers at all levels of an organization can support their team members 
• How Millennials have changed the way we talk about mental health 
• Why mental health and emotional wellbeing need to be top priorities to convince the upcoming generation to join Construction. 

If you or someone you know are having trouble coping with work-related stress, talk with someone who can help: In the United States, call 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Hotline or visit https://988lifeline.org/.

For those living outside the United States, you can find local resources here: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/.  

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk.