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5/12/26
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This report was provided by First American Data & Analytics and DealGround
A new industry research report from First American Data & Analytics and DealGround, called CRE Industry Pulse Check, finds that artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly entered the commercial real estate (CRE) mainstream, but it has not yet earned a trusted role in high-stakes decision-making.
According to the report, 66% of CRE professionals use AI weekly or daily, but only 5% trust it enough to inform real deal decisions. The findings point to a clear market gap: AI adoption is accelerating, but trust remains the barrier between experimentation and workflow transformation. More than half of respondents (53%) say they use AI for support only and exclude it from final decision-making, while another 17% say they use it only with heavy verification.
“AI adoption in CRE is no longer the question—trust is,” said Matt Key, vice president of property data at First American Data & Analytics. “Professionals are using AI, but only if the outputs are verifiable and the data is reliable. Closing this gap is what will move AI from a productivity tool to a decision-making engine.”
The study suggests the next phase of AI in CRE will move beyond tool adoption and focus on tools that utilize accurate, decision-ready data. For respondents who have not adopted AI more aggressively, the biggest barriers are practical and trust-based: 34% say they do not know which tools to use, while 32% cite concerns about accuracy. By contrast, only 5% say cost or unclear ROI is the main obstacle.
"CRE professionals are not resisting AI—they're pressure-testing it,” said Dan Mosher, CEO and co-Founder of DealGround. “Brokers will adopt tools that fit how they actually work, but they will not stake a deal on outputs they don’t trust. The next phase of AI in CRE will go beyond answering questions to help professionals execute inside real workflows.”
The research shows AI’s current value in CRE is in supporting productivity, but the next wave of value for AI lies in execution: automating manual transaction and closing processes (33%) and delivering reliable rent and sales comps in thin or opaque markets (25%).
“Those priorities highlight where the market needs to go next,” explained Key. “CRE professionals are not asking for more features—they are looking for less friction, more consistency and greater confidence in the underlying data and information. The stronger the data foundation, the more useful and trustworthy AI becomes.”
Taken together, these findings show a market moving beyond curiosity, but still short of full confidence. AI has earned a place in day-to-day CRE work, but broader adoption in deal-related workflows will depend on improvements in trust, verification and data integrity.
About CRE Industry Pulse Check:
The findings are based on an online survey commissioned by First American Data & Analytics and DealGround fielded March 31 – April 8, 2026, among 255 qualified CRE professionals across brokerage, lending and capital markets, development and asset management. The research examines how CRE professionals are using AI today, where they are seeing value, and what is holding back broader adoption.
First American Data & Analytics is one of the largest providers of property data and analytics in the United States, with deep expertise in the data infrastructure that supports real estate technology and AI-driven workflows.
DealGround’s AI-powered command center is used by the top 15 CRE brokerage firms in the U.S., giving the company direct visibility into how brokers adopt and evaluate AI in the field.
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