The future of AI in CRE

JLL’s latest Global Future of Work survey confirms that AI is already being actively implemented in the business world. More than nine in ten C-suite leaders believe AI will change the way the workforce operates over the next five years. A similar proportion plans to accelerate investment in AI over that period.

This means a new hybrid work model (Hybrid 2.0) is imminent, blending manual and automated processes, with AI supporting human experts across business functions. In this emerging work style, CRE is no exception. 

Over the next five years, most companies (90.1%) expect to carry out corporate real estate activities, such as workplace strategy, occupancy management and lease administration, in a Hybrid 2.0 approach. Few CRE teams (5.3%) plan to continue relying mostly on manual work, while even fewer (4.6%) aim to fully automate most CRE activities.

To help organizations and CRE leads navigate this approaching future, this article examines the current implementation status of AI in CRE, along with the obstacles to its successful adoption, and advocates a systematic approach to getting the most from this technology.

The JLL Global Future of Work survey is a biennial survey which has been produced since 2011. It explores the evolving world of work and the key priorities, challenges and strategies of more than 2,300 corporate real estate decision-makers, as well as the emerging trends within organizations all over the world. 

The latest 2024 Future of Work edition offers fresh insights, which we are examining in a series of articles exploring key topics, from technology to design and ESG.

Respondents to the FOW survey identified a number of barriers to implementing AI in CRE, but these challenges can be recast as opportunities to enhance the digital capabilities of CRE over the long term.