It’s rare these days for a discussion of facility management to take place without at least one mention of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it’s impacting the industry.
Newsflash: AI isn’t going anywhere. That message was loud and clear at this year’s gathering of commercial real estate (CRE) leaders at the BOMA International Conference & Expo in Long Beach, California.
During education sessions and expo hall conversations, the impact of AI on the CRE industry was obvious – leaders are leaning into the current and future possibilities AI brings to the table. But they also will not be turning over their entire operations to the whims of the technology.
During her session on ethics in AI, Carla Hinson, vice president of innovation with MRI Software, suggested that executives take an “acceleration, not autopilot” approach to AI.
What does that mean? Use AI for tasks such as summarizing lease details, drafting emails and establishing or reviewing meeting summaries, but verifying any information before using it to make important decisions.
She later shared steps managers should take with their facilities teams when utilizing AI. Her recommendations included emphasizing safe use, creating internal guidelines for employee use and training staff members on the risks of AI when it’s not used properly.
Her last one – keeping people central to making decisions – is the most important step of them all.
In an era when data is king, many employees around the country are scared that AI will eventually take their jobs away. It’s a valid concern, but managers need to remind their employees that AI can’t physically inspect equipment, rely on gut instincts for important decisions, or provide face-to-face customer service that so many clients in institutional and commercial facilities expect.
No, AI isn’t going anywhere – and the best facility executives will take steps to ensure that the technology and their teams can – and will — coexist.
Dave Lubach is the chief editor of the facilities market. After serving as associate editor for Facility Maintenance Decisions from 2012 to 2016, he returned to Trade Press Media Group in 2021 and was elevated to his current position in October 2025. Dave manages the facilities team and helps shape the education content for NFMT and Elevate events.
