This Week on the Project Flux Podcast: Women in AI & the Future of Quantity Surveying

Two standout conversations this week on Project Flux. We explore the confidence gap that is holding women back in AI, and then dig into what the AI4QS Report really means for the future of Quantity Surveying.

Cydnie Thompson joins us to talk about her journey from South London to Germany and how she is using AI to empower women entrepreneurs worldwide. Then Kudirat Ayinla and Abdullahi Saka break down the findings of the AI4QS Report, sharing what QS professionals need to know about AI adoption, data literacy, and the evolving role of the digital advisor.

Cydnie Thompson is the founder of WinTrade Global, an organisation dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs through trade, technology, and community. Her journey from South London to building a global platform is, in itself, a compelling story. But what makes this conversation particularly sharp is her willingness to name something that rarely gets discussed openly: the confidence gap.

Cydnie is direct about the barriers she has seen and experienced. Imposter syndrome is not just a personal struggle — it is a structural problem, one that is compounded when women enter spaces like AI and tech where the culture has historically been built around a very different demographic. She talks about what it actually takes to shift that — not through motivation alone, but through community, access, and practical tools.

The conversation moves into the role AI can play in levelling the playing field for underrepresented women entrepreneurs. Cydnie's perspective is grounded and specific: AI as a practical enabler, not a silver bullet. She explores how women-led businesses can use AI to compete, scale, and reach global markets, and where the real barriers to adoption still lie.

There is also a broader discussion about the ethical dimensions of AI — who controls it, who benefits from it, and what responsibility sits with the tech companies shaping its direction. Cydnie does not shy away from the harder questions, and her generational perspective on where AI is heading adds real texture to the conversation.

There is one part of this episode, around the intersection of AI, sustainability, and global equity, that we are leaving for you to hear directly. It is worth the listen.

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Kudirat Ayinla is a researcher at Loughborough University with a focus on AI adoption in the built environment. Abdullahi Saka is based at the University of Westminster and has been at the forefront of the AI4QS initiative, which produced the report at the centre of this episode. Together, they bring both academic rigour and practical insight to a profession that is at a genuine inflection point.

The AI4QS Report is one of the most substantive pieces of research to emerge on AI's impact on Quantity Surveying, and this episode is essentially a guided tour through its key findings. Kudirat and Abdullahi are clear that the QS profession is not facing extinction, but it is facing transformation — and the professionals who are paying attention now will be the ones who shape what comes next.

A significant portion of the conversation focuses on data literacy. Structured, clean, reliable data is the foundation on which AI tools perform, and the QS profession has a long way to go in building that foundation. The guests are candid about the current state of data management in construction and what needs to change before AI can deliver on its promise.

The discussion on the evolving role of the QS is particularly worth noting. The shift toward digital advisory work — where QS professionals act as strategic interpreters of AI-generated insights rather than simply producers of cost data — is not a distant possibility. It is already happening in the firms that are moving fastest.

There is also a thoughtful section on AI governance and the importance of establishing oversight structures within organisations before deploying AI tools at scale. The guests are not alarmist, but they are serious about the risks of moving without a framework in place.

The full report is available at ai4qs.com. We would recommend reading it alongside this episode.

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All content reflects our personal views and is not intended as professional advice or to represent any organisation.

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All content reflects our personal views and is not intended as professional advice or to represent any organisation.