Companies underestimate the role of AI in building management; falling behind looms

Many organizations are delaying investments in AI applications for building management because the technology is not yet one hundred percent reliable. According to Douwe Groenevelt, former Head of Legal Affairs at ASML and now an AI expert at Datacation, this is unwise. “The speed at which AI is developing is unprecedented. Anyone who bases decisions on what AI cannot yet do will be playing catch-up within a few years.”

Groenevelt observes that building managers primarily use AI reactively, for example for predictive maintenance and the real time controlling installations. “They combine sensor data, weather information, and occupancy data to make systems function more efficiently.”

While that is certainly useful, the technology offers many more business opportunities. “In the digital building of the future, people work together with AI agents. These agents not only perform analyses on request (like chatbots), but take independent action. They continuously collect data, weigh scenarios against each other, draw conclusions, and act proactively.”

The role of the building manager is changing.
“In the future, multiple AI agents will work side-by-side in a single building on various tasks,” Groenevelt continues. “For example, there are separate agents for energy management, maintenance, safety, and occupancy management. These 'digital employees' exchange information with each other and propose actions. The building manager monitors the entire system and makes adjustments where necessary. This requires different work competencies, such as insight into data quality, processes, and risks.‘

Risks and mandate
The increasing autonomy of systems also entails risks. “The importance of governance is increasing. When AI agents make decisions independently, this calls for clear frameworks and oversight. You have to determine in advance what a system is and isn't allowed to do. Without those boundaries, systems can make choices that are operationally or financially undesirable. Think of an AI agent that independently orders maintenance on a roof based on an incorrect interpretation of sensor data. Or even crazier: an agent that orders a completely new roof without you knowing anything about it,” Groenevelt laughs.

Establishing frameworks and responsibilities is becoming an indispensable part of the profession. Right up the former lawyer's alley. “AI does not replace human building management, but the content of the role will change fundamentally. The focus is shifting towards collaborating with and managing AI. That process is unstoppable. The best thing you can do is prepare thoroughly. Develop a future-oriented business strategy based not on today's limitations, but on tomorrow's possibilities.”

Technology not the biggest hurdle
Despite the technological advantages of artificial intelligence, implementation in practice sometimes proves difficult. According to Groenevelt, this is usually not due to the technology, but to human factors such as resistance to change or unfamiliarity with AI. “Many organizations get stuck in pilots and isolated applications. The step towards large-scale deployment requires adjustments in working methods, decision-making, and responsibilities. And above all, a new way of thinking. Employees must not view AI as a threat, but as an opportunity to work better, more efficiently, and faster.”

In the presentation 'The Self-Learning Building; Agentic AI in Building Management', Groenevelt focuses on the operational deployment of AI as well as on preconditions such as data quality, governance, and adoption. These are factors that often prove decisive in practice for the successful use of AI. 

Register for the event and the lecture free of charge via the website.