Artificial intelligence was a hot topic at the 2025 International Builders Show (IBS), with numerous sessions dedicated to discussing the topic and exhibitors highlighting new-home AI technology across the operation spectrum. During the education session “Beyond the Product Demo: How Small Builders Can Navigate New Tech & AI Implementation,” panelists discussed how builders can evaluate their own processes and systems, identify areas technology can provide solutions, and effectively deploy new technology solutions.
“In 2024 and 2025, the AI tools have become much better. The text, image, [and] audio, it feels more real,” said Barrett Davis, founder of HomeScribe.AI. “The next stage [of AI] is really coming. The milestones of AI—when you talk about the hype versus the reality—have hit the curve right now on reality. Now is the perfect time to plan, to play, and work on different pieces of your business because in the next year when AI is attached to [more powerful data centers], the world is going to change.”
Derek Schairer, founder of software solutions provider Foundation, highlighted the importance of simplicity and starting small with technology. He told attendees a first step to take before even considering AI technology is mapping internal company processes throughout the value chain to better understand what is happening at all levels of the business and identify where AI technology could add value.
“One of the keys with AI—and technology in general—is start small. Identify highly repeatable and highly manual tasks that you can go in and have AI implementations simplify,” Schairer said.
He cautioned that new tools will not likely provide hours-saving solutions, but rather compounding changes to improve efficiency.
“AI today is not going to come in and save the company eight hours a day. But, it can be compounding. You might be able to save a transaction coordinator who does the same repetition over and over 15 or 30 seconds a transaction,” Schairer said. “When you start to compound that over the course of days and months and years, that level of saving will free up that person to go be more efficient and do more things for your business.”
Wyoming home builder Nathaniel Lemon shared his experience and lessons learned over his 12 years as the founder of Smart Dwellings as a case study and cautionary tale on technology implementation. Lemon said not all technology is directly applicable for all builders and new technology cannot help fixing broken systems or processes and cannot be implemented seamlessly without the correct team members dedicated to ensuring their success.
“Do you know where you are trying to go long-term? Looking for new technology is great, but that comes after you know where you want to be,” Lemon said. “If you don’t know where you’re going, AI will make your more efficient, but it may make your more efficient in the wrong ways.”
Schairer advised builders to take a “crawl, walk, run” approach to new AI technology and explore low-cost or no-cost AI solutions to familiarize themselves with capabilities before allocating capital to AI technology.
“Remember that behind the processes are humans. They are only going to change for two reasons: They are forced to, or they are incentivized to,” Schairer said. “You want them to be incentivized to change their processes. The software, the AI, the things that you are putting in place should be incentive enough because they should make their life easier and make them more efficient. The AI and software have to be incentive or else people just aren’t going to use it.”
However, Lemon said the builders should not be too conservative and afraid to take chances and try new things with their business. Given the landscape for AI, which is set to accelerate in the next several years, there is time for companies to become early adopters of AI technology and reap to benefits now that several of the early kinks have been worked out.
“Don’t be afraid to take action and don’t be afraid to try something new. Don’t be afraid to fail,” Lemon said. “If you don’t start playing with some of these new things now, in a few years you’ll just be in the same place with the same problems, having the same conversations. Start working toward implementing something that makes sense for [your company], that is scalable [and] is right-sized for your growth.”
