AI, Automation, and the Human Touch: Technology That Actually Enhances Connection
The commercial real estate industry is awash in AI promises: predictive analytics, automated everything, personalized experiences at scale. But here's the question nobody's asking: Where does AI actually enhance tenant experience, and where does it just get in the way?
As we move into 2026, the buildings getting AI-powered tenant experience right aren't using technology to replace human connection—they're using it to create more opportunities for meaningful interaction.
Where AI Actually Belongs
The REX methodology shows us that AI and automation work best when they eliminate friction, not when they eliminate people. Predictive programming uses engagement data to suggest events tenants will actually attend. Smart booking systems learn workspace preferences and proactively offer relevant spaces. Automated operations handle routine maintenance requests so property teams can focus on relationship-building.
This is AI-powered tenant experience done right: technology that handles the transactional so humans can focus on the transformational.
Consider the data: when AI personalizes amenity recommendations based on actual usage patterns rather than demographic assumptions, engagement increases. When chatbots handle simple service requests instantly (24/7 availability matters to modern tenants), satisfaction improves. But when automation replaces the human concierge who knows your name and remembers your preferences? Satisfaction drops.
The Phygital Balance
The future isn't digital-first or physical-first—it's "phygital." Your building app provides the convenience of mobile ordering and instant booking, while your property team creates the community moments that make tenants feel valued. AI aggregates feedback across the REX platform's Places, Services, and Community pillars to show patterns; your team uses those insights to design better experiences.
The buildings thriving in 2026 understand this balance. They use automation to free their property teams from administrative tasks, creating capacity for the high-touch interactions that drive loyalty. They implement AI for operational efficiency, not as a replacement for human expertise.
Privacy People Actually Care About
Here's what tenants want regarding data privacy: transparency about what's collected, clear value exchange for sharing information, and control over their preferences. They're willing to share usage patterns if it means better personalized experiences. They're not willing to feel surveilled.
The REX platform approach prioritizes this balance—collecting data that improves experience while maintaining trust. It's not about gathering everything you can; it's about gathering what actually improves tenant satisfaction.
Technology should enhance connection, not replace it. That's the AI strategy worth implementing.
Ready to implement AI that works?
Download the REX Platform Strategy Resource for frameworks on deploying technology that enhances human connection and drives measurable tenant satisfaction.