From BIM to AI: Digital Maturity, Performance Impacts, and Adoption Barriers in Central European Construction

Building information modelling (BIM) is now routine in how construction firms design and document projects; the open question is what artificial intelligence (AI) can add on top of that foundation. Little is known about what moves a firm from BIM to AI, particularly in smaller Central European markets and in small and medium-sized enterprises. The paper asks three questions: how widely BIM is used across project stages, whether that use shows in cost, waste, and sustainability figures, and what stands in the way of AI adoption. Evidence comes from two surveys grounded in official records: one covering firms in Slovakia, Croatia, and Slovenia, the other on Slovak firms’ AI experience and obstacles. Responses were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Spearman correlations, with the BIM-sustainability link cross-checked against a convergent model. BIM maturity differs clearly between the three countries, from a mean of 1.33 in Slovakia to 2.49 in Croatia and 4.33 in Slovenia on a five-point scale (H = 86.77, p < 0.001), and firms using BIM more report better cost, waste, and sustainability outcomes (ρ up to 0.93 for material cost, 0.92 for emission reduction). AI use remains rare. What distinguishes AI-ready firms is digital maturity (ρ = 0.49 for digital-tools use, 0.37 for digitalization) rather than size (ρ = 0.01, not significant), and the barriers cited most concern people and skills rather than technology. With the regional sample in mind, the findings point to a solid digital and BIM base as AI’s realistic starting point.