Security and access control for construction AI: dedicated identities, least privilege, separate read, draft and execute rights, and approval gates.
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Use least privilege. Separate read, draft, recommend and execute permissions. Require explicit approval for contractual, financial, safety-critical and authoritative-record actions.
| CATHA PRACTICAL AI FOR CONSTRUCTION LIBRARY Before You Give Construction AI the Keys Security, Privacy and Access Control for Construction AI Guide 5 |
|---|
| Best use Map every data source and every action the AI can take. Reduce privileges until only what is necessary remains. |
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| Layer | Control questions |
|---|---|
| Identity | Whose identity is the AI using? Is it a dedicated service identity? |
| Authentication | How are credentials stored, rotated and revoked? |
| Authorization | What can it read, create, change, send, delete or approve? |
| Data | Which sensitivity classes may it access? |
| Tools | Which applications/APIs may it call? |
| Network | Where can it connect? |
| Logging | Can actions and inputs be reconstructed? |
| Recovery | Can access be disabled quickly? |
| Level | AI may | Typical controls |
|---|---|---|
| A0 | Read public information | Basic usage policy |
| A1 | Read approved internal data | Identity + access logging |
| A2 | Draft recommendations/content | Human review |
| A3 | Create reversible internal changes | Approval or narrow preauthorization |
| A4 | Take external or consequential actions | Strong authorization, limits, audit, rollback |
| A5 | Coordinate multiple systems autonomously | Formal governance cage, continuous monitoring, kill switch |
| Check | Item | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ☐ | Dedicated identities where feasible | ____________________________ |
| ☐ | Least-privilege access | ____________________________ |
| ☐ | Secrets manager or protected credential storage | ____________________________ |
| ☐ | Approved data classification | ____________________________ |
| ☐ | Vendor data-use terms reviewed | ____________________________ |
| ☐ | Audit logging enabled | ____________________________ |
| ☐ | Rate/spend limits | ____________________________ |
| ☐ | High-impact actions require approval or narrow authority | ____________________________ |
| ☐ | Rollback or recovery plan tested | ____________________________ |
| ☐ | Kill/revoke procedure documented | ____________________________ |
Practical questions construction owners ask.
What does least privilege mean for construction AI?
Map every data source and every action the AI can take, then reduce privileges until only what is necessary remains.
Which AI actions need explicit human approval?
Contractual, financial, safety-critical and authoritative-record actions.
What access questions should be answered first?
Whose identity the AI uses, how credentials are stored, rotated and revoked, what it can read, create, change, send, delete or approve, and whether access can be disabled quickly.
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Use AI where it creates value. Govern it everywhere it acts.
Catha helps construction companies identify, build and manage AI workflows while keeping business authority in human hands.