Kristen Nunery for Market Share Blog | August 27, 2026
Commercial real estate developers, owners, investors and property managers are adopting artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce delays, lower costs, improve risk visibility and make better decisions. But AI cannot repair a fragmented workflow built around spreadsheets, email chains, manual reviews and unclear ownership.
Effective AI implementation begins with workflow redesign. Leaders must define the desired business outcome, remove unnecessary steps, clarify accountability and identify where better information would improve judgment. Only then can AI help accelerate contractor onboarding, strengthen third-party insurance compliance, and protect asset value.
I have seen the importance of that foundation throughout more than 16 years of living in third-party insurance compliance, technology development and workflow transformation. During that time, the compliance operations I led supported more than 750,000 third-party partners, managed more than 1.2 million agreements, reviewed over 45 million insurance documents, and identified more than two million coverage gaps before they became claims.
Working at that scale reinforced a broader lesson: Good technology does not simply process more information. It applies reliable judgment, identifies material risks and helps people take the right next action.
Where Can AI Improve Business Outcomes?
Commercial real estate leaders must start with the outcome, not the technology. The first question is not, “Where can we add AI?” It should be, “What measurable business result are we trying to improve?”
That result might be shorter contractor approval times, fewer project delays, lower administrative costs, stronger compliance or better portfolio oversight. Whatever the priority, it must be specific enough to measure.
Once leaders define the outcome, they can identify where work slows down, information gets lost, and responsibility becomes unclear. They can then determine whether AI will address the underlying problem or merely automate one step within it.
Effective AI should surface important information, explain why an issue matters, distinguish among levels of risk and guide users toward the appropriate next action.
Why Insurance Compliance Requires More Than Document Collection
Commercial real estate organizations rely on third parties throughout the property lifecycle. Each relationship introduces financial, legal and operational risk. When an inadequately insured third party causes a loss, the exposure can shift to the property owner or developer, affecting the asset’s financial performance.
Many teams still collect Certificate of Insurance (COI), track expirations in spreadsheets, and chase missing documents through email and phone calls. Employees without insurance expertise may also be expected to determine whether coverage meets complex contractual requirements.
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