AI won’t transform AEC/O overnight – but that’s the point. In From Hype to Habit, Julian Geiger, VP head of AI product & transformation at Nemetschek Group, shares why progress beats perfection, and how growing with AI unlocks real results. Discover how collaboration, feedback, and curiosity turn AI from a buzzword into a trusted partner that evolves with your work
In today’s world, the promise of AI often sounds like magic. Instant insights. Seamless automation. Limitless potential. But those of us building AI tools inside the AEC/O industry know something many headlines miss: AI doesn’t leap from zero to genius overnight. And it’s not supposed to.
In the built environment, where projects are complex, multidisciplinary and deeply human, transformation doesn’t come in a single download. It takes endurance, iteration and, above all, collaboration.
At Nemetschek Group, we’ve spent the past years developing AI co-pilots embedded into the workflows of architects, engineers and construction professionals. We’ve designed tools to assist with document orchestration, quality assurance, design recommendations and more. But along the way, we’ve discovered that the biggest challenge isn’t the AI itself; it’s the expectation that it should work perfectly, right away.
Teaching AI, like you’d teach a teammate
Many users come to AI with high hopes (and rightfully so). They expect it to handle tasks immediately, offering brilliant suggestions, generating detailed outputs, anticipating needs.
But here’s the truth: AI is not a magician. It’s a learner.
Just like onboarding a new colleague, AI needs time to understand your projects, workflows and preferences. It needs feedback. Context. Patience. It improves with every interaction, every correction and every success you build together.
When users shift their mindset from expecting perfection to nurturing potential, something powerful happens: AI becomes more than a tool; it becomes a teammate. One that grows with you, learns your style and ultimately makes your work more rewarding.
That’s why at Nemetschek, we don’t talk about AI as a product you buy once and forget. We see it as a partnership, a co-evolution of human expertise and digital intelligence. Our job isn’t just to deliver advanced features; it’s to build AI that becomes more valuable over time, through continuous learning and user engagement. Some of the most successful users we’ve seen are those who approached AI with curiosity, not control. They asked questions. They gave feedback. They experimented. And in return, they gained a digital partner that truly understood their needs, one that helped them work faster, make better decisions and unlock new creative possibilities.
“Just like onboarding a new colleague, AI needs time to understand your projects, workflows and preferences. It needs feedback. Context. Patience. It improves with every interaction, every correction and every success you build together.”
This thinking comes to life in the Nemetschek AI Assistant, our human-centric, brand-specific AI solution designed for real-world AEC/O professionals. Developed in close collaboration with users, the AI Assistant isn’t just another productivity tool; it’s a context-aware, assistive companion that understands the reality of daily project work.
And importantly, it’s not here to replace human creativity; it’s here to amplify it. The AI Assistant works alongside you, not above you. It’s assistive, not authoritarian. Built on our Ethical AI Commitment, it ensures transparency, control and human oversight, because trust is the foundation of transformation.
Don’t wait for perfect. Start where you are
There will always be the temptation to wait for AI to “mature”. To sit on the sidelines until it can do everything perfectly. But here’s the thing: perfection is a moving target, especially in technology. If you wait until AI is flawless, you’ll miss the opportunity to shape how it works for you.
The best time to start engaging with AI is now: imperfect, evolving, and full of possibility. The earlier you begin, the more influence you have over how the tools adapt to your workflows. You’ll get better results not because the AI is perfect but because you’ve grown together.
We believe in a future where AI is more than a buzzword. Where it becomes a natural extension of how AEC/O professionals design, collaborate and deliver. A future where machines aren’t replacing human talent but amplifying it with empathy, adaptability and trust. And like all good relationships, this one will take time. But the payoff? A smarter, more intuitive, more enjoyable way to build the world around us.
So don’t wait for magic. Start with a mindset of growth. Bring your experience, your feedback, your open mind.
*Please note that this is a commercial profile.
The post From hype to habit: Why growing with AI is better than waiting for perfect appeared first on Planning, Building & Construction Today.
