Commercial real estate firms are rapidly integrating AI into daily workflows, but most professionals still hesitate to trust the technology with high-stakes financial decisions, according to CRE Daily.
A new survey from First American Data & Analytics and DealGround found that 66% of commercial real estate respondents now use AI weekly or daily. Yet only 5% said they fully trust AI enough to influence operational or investment decisions.
AI Is Becoming Part Of Everyday CRE Work
AI use is no longer limited to junior staff or experimental teams. Nearly 76% of vice president-level executives and above reported using AI weekly or daily.
Most firms currently use AI for support functions rather than decision-making. More than half of respondents said AI primarily assists with workflows, while many others said outputs still require significant human verification.
Research and comparable analysis emerged as the most common AI use case, followed by lease abstraction, document review, and marketing support. Underwriting and financial modeling remained far less common, reflecting ongoing trust concerns.
Trust And Data Quality Remain Major Barriers
The biggest obstacle was not cost but confidence. Many respondents said they remain concerned about inaccurate outputs, outdated records, incomplete property data, and unverifiable information. Others said they still struggle to determine which AI tools are actually useful for CRE workflows.
The report suggests commercial real estate’s next stage of AI adoption may depend less on flashy tools and more on whether firms can access cleaner, standardized, and continuously updated property data.
That issue is particularly important in commercial real estate, where fragmented records and inconsistent comps data already create friction for brokers, investors, lenders, and operators.
CRE’s AI Future Still Looks Human-Led
The findings show an industry balancing pressure to modernize with caution around handing major financial decisions to algorithms.
Many firms appear comfortable using AI to speed up administrative work, analyze documents, or surface market information. But when it comes to pricing assets, approving deals, or evaluating investment risk, humans still remain firmly in control.
For the future of work inside CRE, that likely means AI adoption will continue expanding as a co-pilot tool designed to support professionals rather than replace them outright.
