What if a construction project could rewrite its own schedule the moment a problem appears? A new peer-reviewed study from the University of East London (UEL) suggests that artificial intelligence could make this possible—detecting emerging risks and automatically adjusting project plans before delays spread across a site. The research is published in the journal Frontiers in Built Environment.

Rather than proposing a single new tool, the research outlines how existing technologies could be connected in ways they currently are not. Today, safety monitoring systems, digital risk registers and scheduling platforms typically operate in isolation. As a result, risks are identified, but the project timetable often continues unchanged.

The findings come from a systematic review of 60 peer-reviewed studies on AI in construction management. The research proposes a framework showing how risk warnings could trigger immediate, machine-readable planning decisions.