The role of the governance ecosystem in ai-drone adoption for safety in the Malaysian construction industry

Sriashwin, Veerapandian (2026) The role of the governance ecosystem in ai-drone adoption for safety in the Malaysian construction industry. Master dissertation/thesis, UTAR.

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Abstract

The Malaysian construction industry is undergoing a digital transformation toward Construction 4.0, yet the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) drones for site safety remains fragmented due to a systemic "Governance Paradox." While high-level strategic policy frameworks exist, there is a lack of empirical evidence regarding the operational mechanisms required to translate national policies into practical site-level execution. This study develops and validates a Governance Ecosystem Model (GEM) to investigate how three critical variables, namely Regulatory Support, Institutional Readiness, and Trust and Data Ethics, drive technology implementation. Employing a positivist, quantitative cross-sectional design, data were collected from 168 construction professionals, including Developers, Consultants, and CIDB G1 to G7 Contractors, and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA). The findings indicate that Institutional Readiness emerges as the most powerful predictor, exerting nearly double the influence of regulatory factors on technology rollout. Crucially, the study uncovers that Implementation acts as a significant mediating factor; governance domains do not directly trigger final adoption but must first manifest as high-quality, reliable site execution to be successful. Furthermore, moderation analysis identifies a "Regulatory Friction" effect, where increased professional seniority correlates with a diminishing perceived impact of regulatory frameworks. These insights provide a strategic roadmap, demonstrating that successful AI-drone adoption relies less on external mandates and more on developing internal digital capabilities and high-quality pilot execution, offering a transformative path for a proactive safety culture in Malaysia.

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