Turner's Innovation Summit Unites Global Leaders to Shape the Future of How We Build

More than 300 participants from Turner and other ACS Group companies gathered to explore transformative ideas shaping the future of construction. 

Turner Construction Company hosted its 10th Innovation Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, where more than 300 change leaders, innovators, and colleagues from Turner and the ACS Group gathered under the theme "Empowering Transformation" to explore how innovation, artificial intelligence, and collaboration drive transformation across three levels: personal, organizational, and societal. 

“Turner is committed to equipping our people with the tools, skills, and confidence to solve challenges and transform how they work,” said Jim Barrett, Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer. “The summit provided attendees with a playbook to amplify individual impact, advance company growth, and drive meaningful progress across the industry.” 

This commitment came to life through hands-on experience. Following AI learning sessions led by experts from OpenAI, participants put their knowledge into action during Turner's largest-ever AI agent build session. In this collaborative hackathon, teams created more than 100 custom AI agents designed to address real project challenges, from streamlining contract reviews to enhancing safety protocols. 

Turner has already embedded AI across its operations from AI-powered assistants and photo analysis tools that strengthen site safety and planning, to digital tracking systems that accelerate project delivery, autonomous drones that improve operational insight, and the Production Control System that standardizes execution and reduces stress on project teams. These advancements are expanding capacity, accelerating insight, and giving our people more time to focus on creative problem-solving and value-driven decision-making. Building on this momentum during the event's Innovation Circuit, attendees explored ten interactive stations featuring solutions ranging from AI-powered contract analysis and safety monitoring to digital work-in-place tracking.  

This hands-on approach reflects Turner's commitment to making innovation accessible, practical, and empowering. The company has established an industry leading engagement with OpenAI that offers every Turner employee access to ChatGPT Enterprise. This is one of several AI tools helping teams work smarter, make faster decisions, and unlock new opportunities across projects. These technologies are expanding capacity, accelerating insight, and giving teams more time to focus on creative problem-solving and value-driven decision-making. To date, these advancements have saved tens of thousands of work hours while creating new opportunities for learning and growth. 

The Summit featured inspiring sessions from a diverse lineup of thought leaders including Cassie Kozyrkov, CEO of Kozyr and former Chief Decision Scientist at Google; Fred Mills, Founder and Managing Director of The B1M; Mike Sewell, Director of Innovation at Gresham Smith; Alex Willis, CEO of Leadership Surge; Robbie Bach, former Microsoft Chief Xbox Officer; and Mike Singletary, NFL Hall of Famer and leadership author. 

The Innovation Summit underscored that Turner’s greatest strength lies in its people and in their creativity, curiosity, and drive to challenge what's possible. “Our people are constantly challenging what’s possible and shaping the next generation of construction solutions,” said Barrett. “As we look ahead, innovation and AI will continue to expand what our people can achieve, helping us build smarter, connect globally, and lead transformation in our industry.” 

Turner continues to lead with purpose by providing an environment, culture, and tools that empower teams to amplify their talents and make innovation part of how they work every day. Through continuous investment in innovation and people, Turner is shaping a future defined by the opportunities created for teams, clients, and communities—connecting technology, talent, and purpose across everything we build.