RealtyAds Clarifies AI's Role in Commercial Real Estate Amid Market Volatility

Purpose-built AI for commercial real estate isn't a future bet. It's already on the leasing floor.

CHICAGO, Feb. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- While investors wiped billions off CRE stocks last week, with JLL, CBRE, and Newmark all seeing 20%+ stock declines on fears that AI will disrupt traditional brokerage, RealtyAds' AI platform was powering more than 10,000 leasing campaigns across 125 markets, saving clients an average of $8,000 per month compared to traditional advertising services.

RealtyAds, the first and largest provider of AI services in commercial real estate, believes the industry needs a clearer distinction between speculative fears and practical reality.

"Not all AI is designed to replace people," said Trevor Marticke, CEO of RealtyAds. "In leasing, the most effective AI is purpose-built to help professionals perform better, not necessarily remove them from the process."

AI Adoption Is Rising, But the Reality Is Still Early-Stage
Across commercial real estate, AI adoption is accelerating. Owners, operators, and service firms are actively piloting new tools, experimenting with automation, and exploring how data can improve decision-making. Yet much of this is occurring at the individual broker level, with limited examples of scaled, repeatable deployment by large corporations across their entire leasing platforms.

This gap between quick individual adoption versus slower corporate adoption has contributed to uncertainty in commercial real estate, particularly among investors and industry professionals concerned about job displacement, service disruption, and long-term relevance.

"The narrative has moved faster than the corporations," Marticke added. "We're seeing early adopters already deploying RealtyAds' agents to help them transact, but individuals alone are not enough to combat the onslaught of market sentiment that corporations at large are not adopting AI fast enough."

What's Driving the Market's Anxiety
Recent selloffs across CRE-focused public companies reflect fears that AI could reduce demand for labor-intensive services or fundamentally alter how deals are sourced and executed. However, much of this concern is rooted in broad assumptions about AI rather than how it is being deployed in practice within leasing workflows.

Leasing remains relationship-driven, highly localized, and dependent on human judgment, factors that AI alone cannot replicate. The most effective applications of AI today are those that support professionals with better data, sharper targeting, and clearer performance insights that ultimately, improve brokerage revenues across the board.

AI Built to Augment Leasing Performance, Not Replace It
RealtyAds was founded in 2019 as an AI-native platform specifically for commercial real estate leasing. Its AI Agents are designed to enhance human decision-making by helping deal teams identify and target decision makers more accurately, engage more prospects, and connect online engagement through to real leasing outcomes.

Rather than automating away roles, RealtyAds AI focuses on improving performance across the full leasing lifecycle by helping clients find, advance, and close more deals. This outcome-based approach helps teams move faster, allocate resources more effectively, and focus efforts where they are most likely to drive revenue.

Clarity Over Complexity
Many CRE organizations face challenges around fragmented systems, disconnected metrics, and siloed data. RealtyAds works with owners, brokers, and asset managers to unify digital channels, property websites, CRM systems, and leasing data into actionable insights that support real transactions.

"When AI is tied to outcomes, it becomes empowering," Marticke said. "When it isn't, it just adds noise."

Looking Ahead
As AI continues to evolve, RealtyAds remains committed to helping the industry cut through hype and focus on what drives leasing performance. Through ongoing research, education, and practical frameworks, the company aims to give CRE professionals confidence about the role of AI in their work.

RealtyAds will continue this conversation in an upcoming educational webinar focused on how measurable leasing performance is built and managed in an AI-driven environment, using real-world examples and portfolio-level insights. Webinar will be hosted on March 31, 2026, register here - https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9KYfEpSmREepF7NCqgWzuA.

About RealtyAds
RealtyAds is an AI-native solution designed specifically for the commercial real estate industry. Founded by CRE professionals who have lived the leasing challenges firsthand, RealtyAds delivers proprietary market intelligence, real-time budget optimization, and sustained prospect engagement throughout the entire deal cycle. The platform serves clients across 10 countries and 125 markets, helping CRE professionals find, advance, and close more deals. RealtyAds is SOC 2 Type 2 certified and maintains the highest security standards in the industry. For more information, visit www.realtyads.com or contact [email protected].

Media Contact:
Caitlin Adam
[email protected]
515.710.2825

SOURCE RealtyAds