AI in Home Building: Still in Its Infancy, But Gaining Ground

Despite the growing buzz around Artificial Intelligence (AI), most single-family home builders have yet to adopt it within their business practices.

According to survey responses in conjunction with the most recent NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), the majority of builders are still on the sidelines when it comes to utilizing AI — but early signs suggest change might be on the horizon.

As of July 2025, AI use in single-family home building is concentrated in only a couple of business areas: About 20% of builders are using it to generate advertising and marketing materials, while 11% leverage AI to analyze markets and plan future projects.

In contrast, fewer than 5% are applying AI to any of ten other business functions — ranging from project design to operating automated construction equipment.

However, when asked how likely they are to begin using AI in the next two years, builders expressed strong interest, particularly in the areas of marketing, advertising and project planning. Nevertheless, interest in adopting AI for other business functions remains low.

For more details about the survey findings, read this Eye on Housing article from Rose Quint, NAHB’s associate vice president for survey research.

And for a broader perspective on how AI could reshape housing — as either a job creator or a job destroyer — read this earlier post on NAHBNow.