AI in CRE: What's real, what's hype, and what readiness looks like
24 September 2026
Omar Eltorai and Cole Perry sit down with Michael Clawar, Senior Vice President of Innovation at Altus Group, to talk about where AI is creating real value in commercial real estate and where the industry still has work to do. Michael walks through how the cost of AI intelligence has dropped dramatically in just the past year and what that means for tasks like portfolio-level valuation reviews. The conversation covers why data infrastructure and institutional knowledge matter more than the model you pick, the trade-offs between centralized and business-led technology operating models, and a recent NBER study on how AI benefits senior and junior professionals differently, with real implications for talent development in CRE.
Resources mentioned
Key moments
00:00 Intro and Michael’s background
04:30 How AI has changed CRE data and analytics
10:30 AI capability per dollar and what it unlocks
18:00 Durable vs. fleeting AI advantages
25:30 Technology operating models and where firms get it wrong
34:00 What clients actually want from AI
39:00 The NBER study on AI and expertise
Your guests and host
Cole Perry
Associate Director of Research
Altus Group
Omar Eltorai
Senior Director of Research
Altus Group
Michael Clawar
Senior Vice President of Innovation
Altus Group
Resources
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Disclaimer
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