In design and construction, speed and insight matter. While your teams experiment with AI, you as an executive can’t afford to stand still. Large language models (LLMs) are no longer experimental toys; they’re practical tools you can use right now to improve your own effectiveness, decision-making, and communication.
Below are four LLM-based tools that require little setup but deliver immediate value to leaders. They’re not gimmicks—they’re practical platforms that help you keep pace with the channels of information being created, shared, and consumed in our industry.
ChatGPT 4.0
A straightforward productivity booster. Use it to rewrite or refine emails, tighten board or client presentations, and develop first drafts of position papers. It can also synthesize opinions from blogs and forums so you’re not wading through endless comment threads. Executives traveling frequently can even upload photos of sites or buildings to see instant identifications and summaries—helpful context when visiting a new city or project.
Gemini
This is Google’s LLM, and it excels if your organization is heavily embedded in Google Docs, Slides, or Drive. Its standout feature for leaders is its ability to summarize long-form YouTube content. Those 60-minute webinars, policy briefings, or instructional videos your teams send? Gemini condenses them into a digestible summary so you can act on the substance without burning an hour.
Otter.ai
Meeting efficiency is an executive’s hidden multiplier. While many Microsoft 365 users default to Copilot, Otter remains one of the most accurate Zoom-native transcription and action-item tools. It automatically separates speakers, captures the full discussion, and provides a clean, searchable record of decisions and next steps—particularly useful when you’re participating in multiple high-stakes meetings each day.
Perplexity
Think of Perplexity as an AI research assistant. It combines the depth of traditional media with real-time information, producing answers supported by credible sources. It’s equally adept at professional research—market analysis, competitive intelligence—as it is at personal tasks like planning travel. For executives balancing client demands, board responsibilities, and family schedules, it’s a time-saver.
However…
I can’t in good faith write a blog post about using LLMs without presenting two caveats:
- Use LLMs to accelerate, not abdicate. They’re a force multiplier for your thinking, but relying on them for entire strategies or plans produces generic output that’s easily spotted.
- Guard against “workslop.” As Harvard Business Review recently reported, AI-generated content can look like work but lacks the substance and ingenuity needed. (https://hbr.org/2025/09/ai-generated-workslop-is-destroying-productivity)
The LLM platforms I’ve covered won’t replace executive decision-making—but as long as you mind the two caveats above, they will extend your reach, improve your situational awareness, and give you back time to lead strategically. The executives who integrate these tools now will be the ones shaping, not reacting to, the next wave of disruption in design and construction.