"We don't see the real costs of AI."

That's Jean-Marc Frangos, ex-BT in Silicon Valley, now running AI at Shimizu, one of Japan's "Big 5" contractors, founded in 1804.

We sat down with him to unpack how a 220 year old builder actually rolls out AI across a 20,000 person workforce.

The playbook, not the hype:

✅ Start with your data, not the model

✅ 5,000+ staff on one AI platform in ~7 months

✅ When the subsidies end, undisciplined teams get hit "like a ton of bricks"

🎧 Full episode out now.

#bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #bricksbucksandbytes #aec #construction #constructiontech #ai #vc

Our Sponsors:

BreadCrumb- 50,000+ projects globally. All running safer, faster, with Breadcrumb. - breadcrumb.co

Aphex is the multiplayer planning platform where construction teams plan together, stay aligned, and deliver projects faster – check out aphex.co

Archdesk - “The #1 Construction Management Software for Growing Companies - Manage your projects from Tender to Handover” check archdesk.com

00:00 Intro

00:33 Inside Japanese construction and innovation

05:58 What is a "genecon"? Shimizu and Japan's super contractors

07:49 Sponsors

10:58 From telecom to construction: Jean-Marc's career path

17:11 Japan vs Silicon Valley: how innovation actually happens

22:49 How Japanese construction trains its workforce

27:21 How Shimizu adopts AI and new technology

33:26 Why AI adoption in construction is accelerating

36:11 Specialized AI tools vs general models

38:03 RAG explained: AI data retrieval in construction

41:34 AI model routing to cut costs

43:56 Rolling out AI across a large organization

47:55 AI governance: tracking ROI and real benefits

55:39 The future of construction robotics

59:19 The cultural roots of Japan's innovation mindset

📩 Subscribe to the Bricks & Bytes Newsletter: https://bricks-bytes.beehiiv.com/🌐 Visit our website: http://bricks-bytes.com/📲 Follow us: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bricks-bytes/ Twitter: https://x.com/bricksbytespod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bricksbytes/Enjoying the insights? Hit that Subscribe button to stay ahead in construction tech, AI, and the future of how we build.