Corporate Real Estate Insights | By Augusto Alizo | Published July 2026
Artificial intelligence has become part of nearly every conversation in business, and I use it almost every day. It has made me more productive, more efficient, and, in many ways, a better professional.
Over the past year, however, I’ve noticed something interesting. I’ve seen young professionals use AI to reconcile operating expenses, interpret lease provisions, prepare financial analyses, draft legal documents and even draft very professional emails. The results often look polished and impressive.
But when I ask about the assumptions behind an analysis or challenge the reasoning behind a recommendation, I’ve occasionally found that the person presenting the work doesn’t fully understand it. The analysis came from AI, but the reasoning behind it never became their own.
I’ve also seen simple analyses transformed into elaborate spreadsheets with multiple tabs, complex formulas, colorful dashboards, and pages of narrative. The presentation is impressive; sometimes it feels as though AI has turned a simple business analysis into an academic exercise. The additional complexity often adds very little value. In many cases, it makes the answer harder to understand.
One of the lessons I’ve learned over the years is that experience tends to simplify things. It helps you separate what matters from what doesn’t and provide simple and practical solutions. It allows you to recognize when a lease provision deserves closer attention, when an expense doesn’t belong in a reconciliation, or when a number simply doesn’t look right.
AI can generate answers in seconds. What it cannot generate is judgment.
Perhaps that’s also our responsibility as leaders. Rather than simply reviewing AI-generated work, we should spend more time asking questions, discussing the reasoning behind the work, and helping younger professionals understand not just what the answer is, but why. Because that’s where judgment is developed.
AI will continue to evolve, and experience should evolve with it. No technology will ever replace the conversations, questions, and mentoring that transform information into judgment. Without that, what looks like expertise may be nothing more than the illusion of competence.
About the Author
Augusto Alizo is a corporate real estate executive with over 20 years of experience managing transactions, development, and facilities across the U.S. and Latin America. He writes about real estate, strategy, and leadership at augustoalizo.com.