Welcome to a new issue of the Unlocking Real Estate Value newsletter. Each week I will provide you with exclusive advice and professional insights to help you realise long-term value through real estate development.
Welcome to the first issue of our Unlocking Real Estate Value: AI Bulletin!
As AI in real estate continues to grow in my feed, I’ve decided to launch this special edition to distil the latest AI news. The aim is simple: focus on what’s useful and cut through the noise and hype.
AI dominates this week’s CRE feed, with hands-on tools speeding up test-fits, underwriting, dashboards and asset management.
We also track the infrastructure build—power, cooling, fibre—behind AI’s boom, plus a cautionary tale on customer experience.
Ten posts worth your time, each with a quick takeaway you can apply.
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1. A case in point: using Nano Banana for masterplan layouts.
Great micro-case of AI-assisted masterplanning. Nano Banana generates block layouts and test fits in seconds, letting you iterate mixes, densities, setbacks and access while enforcing basic constraints. The punchline: use it to explore options rapidly, then move into proper engineering, viability testing and planning judgement. Speed for thinking, not rubber-stamping.
2. I hosted a really fun Building Websites, Apps, and Dashboards using No-Code AI class in the CRE AI Studio yesterday.
Hands-on no-code session showing how analysts can ship working websites, internal apps and CRE dashboards in hours. The class walked through data connections (Sheets/Airtable), authentication, form logic, and charts, plus how to bolt on GPT for text tasks. Biggest takeaway: product thinking beats code—start with the user’s workflow.
3. Question for real estate investors (LPs and GPs)…?
A thought-provoking prompt for LPs/GPs about what truly drives go/no-go today. Expect comments around cost of capital, underwriting conservatism, cap-ex exposure, sponsor alignment and governance. Useful thread to benchmark your mandate and deal criteria—and to sense the room before calibrating your next pitch.
4. The AI boom is rewriting the fundamentals of infrastructure demand.
A timely primer on the AI build-out’s real-asset implications: grid capacity, substation queues, water and cooling, backup power, dark fibre and land near reliable generation. It flags opportunities in secondary markets and brownfield conversions, plus policy friction on permits and sustainability. Infrastructure is the AI trade as much as software.
5. The average CEO cannot tell you the difference between an automation and an AI agent.
Sharp distinction: automation follows fixed rules; an AI agent pursues goals, reasons across tools and adapts. Most “AI projects” are still glorified scripts. For CRE, getting this right shapes budgets, KPIs and risk. Design governance, fallbacks and human-in-the-loop—or your “agent” becomes expensive automation with hallucinations.
6. I built an asset management copilot using AI.
Practical build of an asset-management copilot: ingest rent rolls and leases, surface exceptions, forecast cash flow, track expiries, and flag covenant/ESG risks. The key is reliable data pipelines and permissioning. Pilots like this won’t replace teams; they raise quality and speed for analysts, AMs and portfolio leads.
7. I ran a 6 unit deal through Shortcut AI to see what I should pay for the property.
Walkthrough of underwriting a six-unit deal with Shortcut AI: upload assumptions, run sensitivities, test debt options, and back into a maximum allowable offer. The value is speed and scenario coverage, not blind trust—use outputs to guide questions, then validate with comps, lender terms and your own model.
8. My friend Scott Davis shared this M.I.T. report on the state of AI in business which I found to be fascinating.
A timely MIT overview of AI in business: adoption is broadening, but gains concentrate where firms redesign processes, upskill people and fix data foundations. It underscores governance, change management and small, compounding wins over moonshots—helpful framing for CRE teams deciding where to place their first real bets.
9. Meanwhile Klarna re-hires the team they fired to replace with AI
Case study in recalibration: after aggressive automation of customer support, Klarna has been re-introducing human involvement and reassigning staff to shore up service quality. The broader lesson—AI augments best when paired with clear CX standards and human oversight—applies well beyond fintech.
10. The AI consulting space is full of NOISE - but there’s a small group of firms actually doing BRILLIANT work.
A buyer’s guide to separate signal from noise in AI consulting. Look for firms that start with outcomes and process mapping, ship small working pilots quickly, and document data/governance. Avoid PowerPoint theatre and tool-shopping. References and real production case studies matter more than brand names or shiny demos.
That’s all for this week.
— Carlo
Founder and Managing Director Benigni
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This post is sponsored by Benigni a specialist development manager working with international investors to realise long-term value through optimised development strategies. To learn more click this link to our website.
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