Vice President of
Infrastructure
Policy Advancement
Bentley Systems
Dec 2025
The infrastructure sector is adopting AI with enthusiasm. A new whitepaper from Bentley Systems, Pinsent Masons, Turner & Townsend, and Mott MacDonald, The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Built Environment, surveyed the sector, and found the 48% of the infrastructure companies they spoke to were trialling AI, or had already implemented it. But only one fifth had a comprehensive AI policy, more than a third had no organisational policy, and 37% had only limited project controls, or none at all.
Dec 2025
AI takes up a lot of oxygen in the room right now.
But when it comes to specific impacts, do we have a strong industry-wide understanding? Does anyone know?
Mark Coates, vice president of the Infrastructure Policy Advancement team at Bentley Systems, set about finding out.
His group helped lead a global study to better understand the topic, looking at AI in three main areas: readiness, risk, and returns.
In episode 183 of ASCE Plot Points, Coates discusses the survey and what the results suggest about the future of the industry.
Dec 2025
Industry leaders reveal how AI is transforming infrastructure projects. Learn how firms use generative AI for design optimization, workflow automation, and workforce learning. Discover practical implementation strategies to turn AI into competitive advantage.
Mark Coates is Bentley’s Vice President of Infrastructure Policy Advancement, where he helps to inform and guide government, policymakers, business leaders, and decision-makers globally on the benefits of digital transformation. A former quantity surveyor with vast experience in worldwide project execution, Mark began working in the construction industry over 35 years ago.
Aug 2025
edie’s Sustainability Uncovered podcast returns for July 2025, with two new and exclusive interviews with sustainability leaders at SMEs, plus a recap on a whirlwind month of energy and environmental policymaking for the UK.
July 2025
“We’ve got to start making projects shovel-worthy, not shovel-ready.”
Are you interested in digital transformation? What do you think about the phrase: “we’ve got to start making projects shovel-worthy instead of shovel-ready”? How can we find and create the magic we’re looking for in the work we’re avoiding?