Agent to Agent
With GHD’s David McLaren

In this episode of The Trailblazers podcast, David McLaren, Enterprise Data and AI Leader at GHD, sits down with BST Global Chief Marketing Officer Eileen M. Canady to share his pragmatic view of how AEC firms can move beyond AI experimentation and into scalable, real-world impact.

Drawing from his experience in automation, application development and data strategy, David emphasizes that successful AI adoption starts with trusted data foundations and a clear focus on solving real business problems, not chasing the latest technology trend.

David outlines how leading organizations are already realizing value through augmented knowledge retrieval, faster project kickoffs and backend automation that streamlines repetitive workflows. At the same time, he stresses the importance of governance, guardrails and human oversight to ensure AI delivers reliable outcomes.

Looking ahead, David offers a compelling vision of the future, one in which AI agents play a central role in how work gets done and how companies collaborate. As he explains, “Agents will probably start talking across companies,” enabling faster, more automated coordination between organizations.

The episode underscores that, while AI will transform how work is executed, human expertise, trust and intentional design will remain at the core of delivering value in the AEC industry.

Find out what else David has to share when you listen to the full episode.