The need for specialized skillsets will only rise with the advent of AI. The war for talent is already driving decision-making for AI companies and investors on where best to establish operations.

Companies have been sprouting up in established markets, often within major technology hubs and in close proximity to top academic institutions, to tap into the technology ecosystem and a ready crop of AI engineers and technical talent.

Take ChatGPT developer OpenAI, which recently announced London as its first international hub to develop AI technology and policies.

In Taiwan, contract electronics manufacturer Wistron built a new plant for AI, 5G, server and computing products in an AI-focused business park in Hsinchu, the city’s main tech hub and home to the world’s top chipmakers.

Meanwhile, other markets are using the same playbook to attract investors. In Shanghai, the municipal government is building an AI cluster as part of a three-year plan to increase its production output by 28% to 1.8 trillion yuan (US$251 billion).

AI is increasingly being deployed to accelerate the pace of transactions and unlock detailed analytics of properties and markets for investors.

The ability of AI to scan data and find meaningful patterns at speed means it can offer valuable recommendations aligned with an investor's objectives, risk tolerance, and market conditions.

An example is JLL’s Capital Markets Quants platform powered by AI and machine learning. By analyzing data from over 1.25 million properties transacted globally in the past 20 years, the platform predicts real estate shifts and opportunities that support advisors in optimizing their clients’ portfolio strategies.

Co-working operators are also finding new revenue streams from AI. Data collected and analyzed by AI algorithms can help predict future space demand to optimize energy usage and plan space utilization more effectively, which potentially opens new doors for expansion.