Experts warn of AI job losses in real estate
Speakers at the Global Wealth Summit cautioned that AI adoption in real estate could drive job losses even as productivity rises—calling for measured adoption and policy planning, reported.
Panelists Gulam Zia (Knight Frank), Abhinandan Lodha (The House of Abhinandan Lodha) and Ashank Kothari (Brookfield) spoke at the Moneycontrol Global Wealth Summit in Mumbai on March 14, 2026. moneycontrol.com Gulam Zia warned the full effects of recent shocks would be visible in Q3–Q4 2026 and noted that 85 million square feet of leasing in 2025 represented almost 20% year‑on‑year growth. moneycontrol.com Ashank Kothari characterised 2025’s 85 million sq ft as a record and projected leasing could rise toward 100 million sq ft as AI drives demand for certain occupier uses. moneycontrol.com Goldman Sachs economists estimate generative AI could lift labor productivity by about 15% when fully adopted and could push unemployment up roughly 0.5 percentage points during the transition period. goldmansachs.com Employee anxiety about AI is rising: Mercer’s Global Talent Trends survey reporting was cited by CNBC as showing concern about AI-related job risk rose from 28% in 2024 to about 40% in 2026. cnbc.com Industry research shows current real‑estate AI use is concentrated in admin and operations with outright headcount reductions still uncommon, according to PwC’s Emerging Trends and JLL’s sector analysis. pwc.com Public and policy responses under discussion include retraining and reskilling programs—Northeastern’s multiyear survey of roughly 6,000 U.S. and Canadian adults found strong public support for government‑led retraining as a preferred response to AI disruption. news.northeastern.edu
