The Ethical Compass of the Machine: Evaluating Large Language Models for Decision Support in Construction Project Management

Somtochukwu Azie; Yiping Meng

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arXiv · 2509.04505

The Ethical Compass of the Machine: Evaluating Large Language Models for Decision Support in Construction Project Management

Somtochukwu Azie·Yiping Meng

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Abstract

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into construction project management (CPM) is accelerating, with Large Language Models (LLMs) emerging as accessible decision-support tools. This study aims to critically evaluate the ethical viability and reliability of LLMs when applied to the ethically sensitive, high-risk decision-making contexts inherent in CPM. A mixed-methods research design was employed, involving the quantitative performance testing of two leading LLMs against twelve real-world ethical scenarios using a novel Ethical Decision Support Assessment Checklist (EDSAC), and qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 12 industry experts to capture professional perceptions. The findings reveal that while LLMs demonstrate adequate performance in structured domains such as legal compliance, they exhibit significant deficiencies in handling contextual nuance, ensuring accountability, and providing transparent reasoning. Stakeholders expressed considerable reservations regarding the autonomous use of AI for ethical judgments, strongly advocating for robust human-in-the-loop oversight. To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to empirically test the ethical reasoning of LLMs within the construction domain. It introduces the EDSAC framework as a replicable methodology and provides actionable recommendations, emphasising that LLMs are currently best positioned as decision-support aids rather than autonomous ethical agents.

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Somtochukwu Azie, Yiping Meng. 2025-09-02. The Ethical Compass of the Machine: Evaluating Large Language Models for Decision Support in Construction Project Management. https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.04505

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