From Data to Decision: Making AI Real in Corporate Real Estate & Workplace

By Jeff Gagnon, Head of Workplace Technology at Allegro Analytics

In workplace and real estate, we’ve spent years deep in the weeds, chasing down data, stitching together systems, and mastering tools just to make sense of the basics. But the value we bring has never been about the tools themselves. It’s about knowing which problems to solve, when to solve them, and why they matter. As AI becomes more accessible, the shift isn’t about doing more. It’s about creating space to do the right work and moving faster when it counts.

That’s what makes this moment such a turning point. AI isn’t just another system to adopt. It’s already reshaping how organizations plan, operate, and experience the workplace. For Corporate Real Estate (CRE) and Workplace leaders, the question is no longer if AI will play a role, but how prepared your organization is to take advantage of it.

That shift demands more than curiosity or experimentation. It calls for deliberate groundwork: clean data, clear priorities, and strong alignment across teams. Only then can AI start delivering on its promise of faster decisions, smarter planning, and more responsive workplaces.

So where do you begin?

Five Things to Get Right First

1. Start with the problem, not the platform.

AI initiatives that begin with technology for its own sake rarely succeed. Anchor your effort in a measurable, outcome-based business goal. Are you trying to reduce cost per visit? Improve employee experience to draw more people into the office? Right-size your portfolio?

A clear KPI keeps pilots focused and builds alignment across functions. It also gives teams a shared definition of success, which helps avoid misalignment as the work scales.

2. Clean up the data before you automate.

AI is only as good as the data feeding it. Before jumping into pilots, map your core datasets, whatever they may be. Space, utilization, headcount, energy, operations, and so on.

Standardizing formats and assigning clear ownership can surface issues early and reduce delays downstream. This foundation enables faster iteration once automation or modeling begins.

3. Upskill to avoid the pilot trap.

Even the best model won’t stick if teams aren’t equipped to interpret and act on its insights. That doesn’t mean everyone needs to be a data scientist. But building confidence in interpreting outputs is essential.

Upskilling can take many forms, including quick reference guides, workshops, or close collaboration with analytics leads. The goal is to build enough fluency so teams feel confident using AI in everyday work.

4. Start small, show impact.

AI is a great fit for automating repetitive tasks, like summarizing employee feedback, generating recurring reports, or flagging exceptions in operational, badge, or utilization data. These aren’t high-stakes decisions, but they consume time that could be better spent elsewhere.

By reducing manual effort, teams free up capacity to focus on higher-value work. That momentum builds confidence, making it easier to move toward AI-supported use cases in areas like space planning and facilities management.

5. Build the team that makes it real.

AI in real estate isn’t just an IT initiative. It depends on coordination across Finance, HR, Legal, and Security, not just CRE. The organizations making the fastest progress have built small, focused AI working groups with executive sponsorship and a clear charter.

These teams help ensure priorities stay aligned, adoption is supported, and early wins translate into long-term value.

What Becomes Possible with AI-Driven Decision Support

AI becomes most useful once your data is structured, accessible, and connected to the systems where work happens. That foundation is what unlocks the shift from slow, manual effort to faster, more focused action.

Start with something familiar: a portfolio manager needs to explore options for a new office in a fast-growing market. Before reaching out to a broker, they use an AI assistant to scan the landscape. The system evaluates availability, rental costs, lease terms, proximity to competitors and peers, access to public transit and parking, and safety data. It also factors in where the company is hiring, surfacing locations near concentrations of relevant talent. With just a few inputs, the manager receives a prioritized view of potential submarkets, enough to inform early conversations and shape a more strategic brief before engaging external partners.

Now imagine a facilities manager reviewing a daily summary of where to prioritize cleaning and restocking. Rather than relying on static schedules or backlogged tickets, AI generates recommendations based on real-time occupancy, supply usage, and past service trends. The system even flags a pattern in one building, prompting an update to staffing plans and vendor instructions.

Or picture a real estate leader asking, “Where should we reduce space without disrupting high-priority teams?” An AI assistant interprets the request, pulls from headcount forecasts, lease terms, and utilization data, and returns a ranked list of right-sizing options with rationale. The leader can iterate on the prompt, apply business rules, and export a summary for Finance. All within the same interface.

These workflows build on each other. Some are simple task automations. Others are AI-assisted decision tools. But all of them rely on the same foundation: clean, connected, well-governed data.

These aren’t just better reports. They’re smarter workflows. And they give teams the power to move from reacting to leading with speed and confidence.

Turning Readiness Into Results

AI isn’t the destination. It’s the enabler. And for CRE and Workplace leaders, the opportunity isn’t about chasing new tools. It’s about building the foundation that turns data into decisions, and then using AI to move faster, with more clarity and greater impact.

About Allegro Analytics: We help CRE and Workplace teams streamline operations, uncover opportunities, and move faster with less effort. Our approach combines technology optimization, advanced analytics, and intuitive reporting to deliver insights that are easy to understand and act on. The result? Smarter decisions, stronger alignment, and better workplace experiences. To learn more, email us at info@allegroanalytics.com.