The AECdesign.ai blog
Plain-English guides to AI review workflows, source control, tool setup, security, and where AEC firms fit. Deeper than the FAQ; always with the engineer of record in control.
AI review belongs in the project record, not outside it
Recent construction AI signals point to a practical rule: use AI where RFIs, submittals, and project records already live, with the engineer of record still in control.
Construction's AI money is flowing into submittal and RFI review
A $13.8M seed round and a wave of new tools point AI first at submittal and RFI review — what it does well, and the engineer-of-record line it can't cross.
The state of AI in AEC — and where MCP fits
Where AEC actually stands on AI in mid-2026 — early and cautious — and how a standard-based, human-reviewed tool fits a careful industry.
What legal AI's MCP moment signals for AEC
Major legal vendors wired into Claude via MCP, framed around accountability rather than automation. Why that's a direct preview for AEC.
Agentic AI and tool use, explained
Tool use, the autonomy spectrum, and why a focused, human-adjudicated review tool is a deliberate choice for licensed work.
The open MCP ecosystem and avoiding lock-in
Thousands of servers and tens of millions of downloads — and why an open standard protects AEC buyers from vendor lock-in.
MCP security: prompt injection and tool poisoning
The lethal trifecta, tool poisoning, and what to check before connecting any AI tool to a firm's project data.
Server-side tools vs. client sampling
MCP primitives and where the work runs — and why server-side logic protects a firm's method and data.
How remote MCP servers authenticate
A remote server needs a lock. Since March 2025 it's been OAuth — how it works and why it matters for firm data.
Remote vs. local MCP servers
Local vs. remote MCP servers: transports, maintenance, and why AECdesign.ai runs remote.
Why MCP became the standard for AI tools
How MCP went from a quiet release to the default AI-tooling standard — and why that matters for AEC.