Property management has spent years investing in dashboards, analytics platforms, and automation tools under the assumption that more data would naturally lead to smarter operations. But MRI Software’s latest industry survey suggests the real problem is no longer collecting information. It’s turning that information into decisions quickly enough to matter. Despite widespread investment in analytics, only a small fraction of respondents said those tools are actually improving decision-making or business outcomes in a meaningful way.

That disconnect is becoming especially visible in the industry’s rush toward artificial intelligence. Commercial real estate professionals overwhelmingly believe AI will be critical to the future of the business, particularly in labor-intensive functions like CAM reconciliation, maintenance analysis, and operational reporting. But the enthusiasm comes with caution. Property managers aren’t looking to remove humans from the process. They want AI to reduce manual work while still keeping judgment, oversight, and accountability firmly in human hands.

The survey ultimately points to a deeper issue that technology alone cannot solve. Many operators are still trapped in fragmented systems, inconsistent data, and manual cleanup work before any analysis can even begin. That creates a major obstacle for AI adoption because even the most advanced tools are only as reliable as the information feeding them. The firms that benefit most from AI may not be the ones buying the flashiest new software, but the ones quietly fixing the infrastructure underneath it.

82% of surveyed commercial professionals say AI is critical to CRE, yet 54% have reported having no training in this area. MRI Software’s latest report on industry trends dives into this topic and so much more.

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