Survey Reveals CRE’s AI Paradox: Leaders Accelerating AI Adoption Despite Persistent Challenges

While 90% of firms are establishing AI teams, 93% report barriers to adoption, signaling a lack of preparedness in the industry

NEW YORK & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dealpath, the AI-powered investment management platform purpose-built for CRE, today released findings from a new survey of institutional real estate investors on their readiness for AI deployment in commercial real estate. The survey results show a striking contrast: while 90% of firms have established or are in the process of establishing AI-focused teams or leads, 93% also report barriers to adoption, led by lack of internal expertise (43%), regulatory/compliance concerns (42%), budget constraints (39%), and decentralized data (36%), underscoring that while every major institutional real estate investor is racing to adopt AI, few feel fully prepared.

"Dealpath’s survey findings underscore what we’ve long believed: AI has enormous potential to transform commercial real estate, but without the proper infrastructure, these industry-leading firms, though armed with the knowledge that AI is essential to remain competitive, will not be able to capture its full value as data silos and expertise gaps threaten progress," said Mike Sroka, CEO and Co-Founder of Dealpath. "These results are a testament to Dealpath’s own pragmatic approach to AI innovation, as we help the industry bridge the gap between theory and practice.”

Other key findings include:

• Adoption momentum: 100% of respondents are adopting or planning to adopt AI and also report that fragmented data across multiple platforms is slowing down AI readiness; 36% are actively scaling solutions, 13% are piloting bespoke tools, and 43% already use tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, or Claude for basic tasks.
• Data infrastructure push: 98% say improving data systems for AI is a top 24-month priority; 74% already have AI governance policies in place.
• Future outlook: 96% plan to increase AI investment in the next year; 68% see AI as critical to long-term strategy.
• Expected ROI: Faster deal evaluation and closing (61%), increased efficiency (61%), more accurate underwriting (50%), and higher deal velocity (43%).
• Current use cases: Document analysis (67%), portfolio monitoring (61%), investment memo creation (56%), and offering memorandum/flyer extraction (49%).

Dealpath commissioned the survey involving senior-level and C-suite executives at leading institutional real estate investment firms across North America with assets under management (AUM) ranging from mid-market to global institutions.

You can find additional analyses of the survey data HERE.

About Dealpath
Dealpath is the AI-powered investment management platform for real estate. Trusted by 300+ institutional firms, Dealpath has supported over $10 trillion in transactions across leading global institutions—including Blackstone, Nuveen, LaSalle, CBRE IM, MetLife, Newmark, Oxford Properties, New York Life, UBS, Manulife, DWS, and Principal—as well as numerous mid-market and regional organizations. Dealpath drives investment performance by uniting data, workflows, and AI in a platform purpose-built for real estate, enabling teams to operate with speed, efficiency, and precision. For more information, visit www.dealpath.com and follow us on LinkedIn.