For decades, facilities managers (FMs) have been the unsung heroes of commercial and retail buildings, ensuring comfort, safety, and operational continuity behind the scenes. However, as the built environment faces the mounting pressures of rising energy costs, ambitious sustainability goals, and the challenge of “doing more with less,” the FM role is undergoing a deep transformation. Key to facing this seismic shift is artificial intelligence (AI), a technology that is rapidly becoming essential to the FM toolkit.
The New Reality: Doing More With Less
According to JLL’s 2024 “State of Facilities Management Technology” report, FMs are contending with increased workloads, tighter budgets, and persistent staffing shortages. Over half of FMs surveyed expected work order volumes to rise, while 43% reported being understaffed. Yet, the expectations for service quality, compliance, and sustainability have never been higher. Already, AI-powered solutions are actively answering the call, helping FMs tackle multiple challenges without compromising productivity. For them, AI is no longer a nice-to-have, it is a must-have.
AI: From Reactive to Proactive Facilities Management
Traditionally, facilities management has been reactive. Teams often operate in reactive mode, responding quickly to equipment issues or occupant concerns as they arise. AI is flipping the script. By leveraging data from building management systems, sensors, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, AI-powered solutions can detect equipment failures, optimize energy use, and even automate routine tasks like scheduling and reporting. In addition, the move from reactive to proactive maintenance not only reduces costly downtime but also extends equipment lifespan and improves occupant comfort—in some cases by 50% and 60%, respectively.
Real-Time Data for Smart Facility Decisions
AI’s power lies in its ability to process vast amounts of data and turn it into actionable insights. For example, FMs using AI for HVAC solutions gain access to intuitive dashboards that consolidate energy usage, occupancy trends, equipment health, and even external factors like weather forecasts—all in one place. The system’s advanced AI algorithms autonomously analyze this data and send optimized control commands to existing HVAC equipment, ensuring systems only run when needed and at peak efficiency. This enables smarter decisions, such as automatically adjusting setpoints during low occupancy or anticipating temperature swings, ultimately reducing energy costs by up to 25% and emissions by up to 40%, while maintaining or even improving occupant comfort.
Moreover, a new frontier in facilities management is emerging with agentic AI-systems that act autonomously, adapt in real time, and solve multi-step problems based on individual context and objectives. Unlike traditional or even generative AI, which can automate simple tasks or generate content, agentic AI leverages multiple intelligent agents and large language models to not only analyze building data but also execute complex actions with minimal human intervention.
The Human Side of AI: Empowering, Not Replacing
Many worry that AI will replace humans in facilities management. However, in reality, it is quite the opposite. The market has a shortage of talent, not a shortage of work. More and more FMs are adopting agentic AI systems by elegating work to these systems to handle repetitive tasks, like comfort call triaging and alarm management, freeing up time for them to focus on executing key initiatives. These agentic AI systems don’t replace human expertise; instead, they supercharge it. This collaborative approach fosters learning from real-world scenarios and supports better, faster decision-making across the enterprise. By embracing these innovations, FMs are not only addressing concerns about job security but also reimagining their roles from operational firefighters to strategic leaders.
Real World, Real Action
One compelling example of AI innovation in action is a partnership with Dollar Tree, a Fortune 500 retailer operating over 16,000 stores. Dollar Tree deployed its AI for HVAC optimization solution in 600 stores spanning 6.6 million square feet. Over the course of a year, the solution delivered nearly 8 million kWh in electricity savings, reduced carbon emissions by 5,632 metric tonnes, and saved over $1 million in costs all without major equipment overhauls or disrupting daily operations.
Embracing the Future
The future of facilities management is intelligent, connected, and data driven. As AI and IoT technologies continue to evolve, FMs who embrace innovation will be better equipped to meet rising expectations, drive sustainability, and create more resilient operations. The key is to adopt solutions that integrate effortlessly with current systems, that ultimately empower FMs and their teams to excel as both stewards and strategic leaders.
For FMs, the era of AI is not about losing control—it’s about gaining new capabilities. By welcoming innovation, FMs are not only future-proofing their buildings but also elevating their own impact in a rapidly changing world.
Omar Tabba is chief product officer at building solutions provider BrainBox AI.