Jan 2026
According to the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP), there’s a renewed interest in AI applications for CRE. From offering new capabilities in financial analysis, market research and customer service to increasing the productivity of physical assets (particularly those in the logistics industry and industrial real estate), advances in AI are building the foundation for next-gen industrial real estate.
To examine how AI is impacting industrial building development and shaping the technological systems within these buildings, the NAIOP Research Foundation commissioned the October 2025 report “From Static to Strategic: AI’s Role in Next-Generation Industrial Real Estate.” Insights from this report include:
- CRE AI applications aim to lower costs, shorten timelines and improve outcomes in several stages of the development process.
- Various AI platforms offer increases in the efficiency and output of warehouse and distribution facilities.
- Businesses can use AI effectively without making large investments in internal databases or specialized talent to use AI effectively.
- Developers interested in building warehouses and distribution centers that can support AI-enabled automation should prepare for the additional infrastructure needed to support these systems.
- The net effect of AI on future demand for industrial space remains unclear.
