​Generative AI in Construction 4.0: Systems thinking, interdisciplinary use cases, and socio-technical opportunities for industry transformation

Submit here from 1 Feburary 2026

Introduction

​​Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) within the emergent socio-technical paradigm of Construction 4.0 has become a disruptive innovation. Employing a systems thinking epistemology to elucidate the underpinning of multi-scalar dynamics will foster GenAI's adoption, adaptation, and diffusion in construction. Generative computational frameworks, including probabilistic design synthesis, topology optimisation, natural language-driven information modelling, and autonomous decision-support architectures, are now entering operational domains traditionally governed by human expert judgment. Hence, assimilation of GenAI into the construction sector presents a confluence of opportunities and perturbations that necessitate rigorous scholarly inquiry. Contributions will interrogate both empirical manifestations and latent potentialities, drawing from the disciplinary intersections of civil engineering, architecture, construction informatics, organisational studies, and governance theory. 

These aims will be realised through the synthesis of methodologically plural contributions that collectively advance a granular and multi-perspectival understanding of generative technologies as both agents and artefacts of systemic transformation in construction. 

This special issue represents the first sustained examination and compendium of GenAI in construction from a broader perspective within the conceptual and operational setting of Construction 4.0, framed through the principles of systems thinking. Previous research has tended to focus on discrete technical applications, for example, in automated design or project scheduling, but has rarely addressed the broader, interconnected picture. The concern is not only with what these technologies can do, but with how they interact with, and may influence, the organisational, professional and social dimensions of the construction sector. The approach taken is deliberately integrative. Advances in generative design, scheduling, costing, risk management, probabilistic modelling and data-informed decision systems are considered in the governance structures, management practices and industry cultures in which they are embedded. This allows for an exploration of both direct operational effects and more subtle, long-term shifts in practice and relationships.   

Construction 4.0 represents the fast-changing period of the construction sector, which integrates digital processes and automation and data-driven decision-making across all project lifecycle stages (Ghimire et al., 2023; Onatayo et al., 2024). GenAI have emerged as a major development which now impacts design and planning, cost management, and sustainability assessment. The literature contains fragmented research about these developments, even though individual studies have addressed their aspects (Taiwo et al., 2024), while there is minimal research on their system-level implications. These methods show evidence of improving predictive accuracy and operational foresight and adaptability according to recent studies (Omotayo et al., 2024; Omotayo et al., 2025). The implementation of these methods raises fundamental questions about the required skills of professionals and their accountability, and the governance systems of the sector. The construction sector requires research that places these technologies within their organisational structures and regulatory frameworks, and human elements. ​

List of topic areas

Systems Thinking for GenAI in Construction 
- Multi-scalar dynamics of adoption, adaptation, and diffusion 
- Feedback loops between technology, organisations, and industry transformation 

Generative AI Use Cases, Models and Frameworks for Construction 
- Topology optimisation and performance-driven design in construction 
- Natural language-driven information modelling 
- Autonomous decision-support architectures 

Generative AI in Interdisciplinary Applications Across the Construction Supply Chain 
- Computational design automation and parametric/generative BIM workflows 
- Predictive resource allocation and project optimisation 
- AI-enhanced safety analytics and risk management 
- Sustainability-oriented optimisation of materials, energy, and processes 
- Codification and formalisation of expert knowledge 

Generative AI applications in built environment pedagogy and research  
- GenAI-assisted teaching and learning design applications 
- GenAI support for tutors, virtual assistants, coding and chatbots 
- Evaluations and assessment tools 
- Research and academic integrity using GenAI tools  

Generative AI and Socio-Technical Transformations in Construction Systems 
- Shifts in collaborative ecologies and inter-organisational workflows 
- Reconfiguration of epistemic labour and competency architectures 
- Evolving decision-making logistics within project delivery 

Cross-Disciplinary Insights in Trust, Ethics and Responsible AI in Construction 
- Contributions from civil engineering, architecture, and construction informatics 
- Organisational studies and governance theory perspectives 
- Ethics of automation, responsibility and governance of AI.  
- Epistemological trusts in generative systems for construction applications. ​​

Submissions Information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available at: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ciipm
Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/ci#jlp_author_guidelines
Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to "Please select the issue you are submitting to."  

Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Key deadlines

Opening date for manuscripts submissions: 1 February 2026
Closing date for manuscripts submission: 30 June 2026