What I Learned Moderating an AI Panel

Written By Matt Faupel

Several weeks ago in San Antonio, senior leaders from the nation’s largest commercial real estate firms gathered for BOMA International’s 2025 National Advisory Council Fall Meeting. One theme dominated nearly every conversation:

AI is no longer experimental, it has become part of the CRE industry.

I moderated a panel with Vip Sandhir (Activate), Jose de Castro (Mapped), and Mikel Chertudi (Moat) - three leaders who aren’t theorizing about AI. They’re creating technology that can be put to use today.

What they shared aligned perfectly with the latest industry research: AI adoption has moved from fantasy to cutting edge, and the results are speaking for themselves.

  • Leaders believe AI will solve major operational challenges

  • Firms are piloting or scaling AI across real estate functions

  • Capital is flowing into AI-focused platforms

Five Key Takeaways From the NAC Panel

1. AI Is Becoming Standard Operating Procedure - Quietly

Firms are already using AI for:

  • Predictive maintenance

  • Energy optimization

  • Lease abstraction

  • Occupancy planning

  • Risk scoring

  • Portfolio analytics

This is not experimentation. This is enterprise adoption.

2. Predictive Operations Are the First Wave

Across office and industrial portfolios, AI is already:

  • Forecasting equipment failures

  • Reducing emergency calls

  • Optimizing labor and routes

  • Improving energy performance

  • Streamlining service workflows

Research shows industrial and logistics leading the charge - powered by automation, robotics, and higher power/cooling requirements.

3. Data Quality Is the Real Barrier, Not the Technology

Every panelist echoed the same point:

“AI is only as good as the data we feed it.”

Most buildings still operate on:

  • Disconnected BAS systems

  • Fragmented accounting data

  • Binders full of paperwork

  • Siloed work orders

  • Spreadsheets buried in shared drives

This fragmentation is the #1 reason AI performance varies across portfolios.

The leaders winning right now are fixing their data — not buying more tools.

My Biggest Lesson From the Stage

AI isn’t replacing property managers, asset managers, or engineers. But it is elevating the expectations for high performance.

The people who will thrive in CRE leadership now are those who:

  • Understand data

  • Embrace automation

  • Think in systems

  • Communicate with clarity

  • Use AI to amplify, not replace their expertise

Sitting on that stage, the message was crystal clear: AI is a leadership test, not a technology test. The ones who step up now will shape the next decade of CRE. The ones who don’t will spend it trying to catch up.

Final Thought

We’re not waiting for AI to arrive in commercial real estate. It’s already here and accelerating.

The question isn’t: “Should we adopt AI?”

It’s: “Where are we behind, and how quickly can we close the gap?”

After moderating that panel, one thing is obvious: The leaders building the future of CRE aren’t just using AI, they’re shaping how the entire industry will use it next.

Practical Next Steps

  • Adopt predictive-first thinking

  • Use AI to eliminate administrative friction

  • Learn how your building generates and stores data

  • Ask vendors how AI improves performance

  • Track AI-driven NOI lifts (energy, labor, uptime)

  • Bake AI into CapEx and asset strategy discussions

Tools To Start With

  • ChatGPT

  • Claude

  • Gemini

  • NotebookLM

  • Perplexity

  • Microsoft Copilot

  • Grok

The key isn’t using everything, it’s choosing the right tool for each workflow.

About the Author

Hi, I’m Matt Faupel — Founder of FaupelX and a passionate advocate for unlocking potential in commercial real estate and beyond. Through this newsletter, I share insights, strategies, and tools to help you lead, grow, and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.

At FaupelX, we’re building the next generation of AI-powered resources for property managers, owners, and industry leaders — because the future belongs to those who prepare for it today.

If you found this edition valuable, I’d love for you to share it with a colleague, join the conversation, and stay connected for future insights, tools, and opportunities. Your growth is my mission — and together, we can raise the standard of what’s possible.

👉 Follow me on LinkedIn

👉 Explore more at FaupelX.com

Let’s unlock our full potential — and build something extraordinary.

Matt Faupel
Next

From Property Management to Asset Leadership: Cultivating an Ownership Mindset