Five Key Strategies for Businesses to Harness AI’s Productivity Gains

According to PwC's 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer, industries most exposed to AI have seen a fourfold increase in productivity growth, from 7% between 2018 and 2022 to 27% between 2018 and 2024. This surge underscores AI's transformative potential; not just as a tool for efficiency but as a catalyst for enterprise-wide growth. To fully capitalize on these gains, PwC recommends five strategic actions for businesses.

Enhance AI Productivity

1. Drive Enterprise-Wide Transformation with AI

AI should be integrated across all facets of the organization, from operations and customer service to strategy and decision-making. This holistic approach enables businesses to unlock synergies and achieve greater efficiency. For instance, during mergers and acquisitions, AI-driven solutions can streamline integration processes, leading to faster realization of deal value and improved operational efficiency.

In property management, AI-driven platforms can centralize tenant communications, streamline maintenance requests, and automate leasing processes. This reduces administrative burden, speeds up response times, and enhances the resident experience, ultimately improving retention and revenue.

2. Treat AI as a Growth Strategy, Not Just an Efficiency Tool

While AI can enhance productivity, its true value lies in its ability to drive innovation and open new revenue streams. By leveraging AI to develop new products, services, or business models, companies can position themselves for long-term growth. In industries most exposed to AI, revenue per employee has grown three times faster than in less exposed sectors, highlighting AI's role in driving business expansion.

In real estate, AI-powered analytics can uncover market trends that guide smarter investment strategies or identify underperforming assets for repositioning. Property managers using predictive AI tools to forecast occupancy trends and rental pricing are already seeing higher NOI (Net Operating Income) compared to peers relying on traditional methods.

3. Prioritize Agentic AI to Unlock Deeper Capabilities

Agentic AI refers to intelligent agents that can autonomously perform tasks, analyze data, and generate insights. Implementing Agentic AI can enhance decision-making processes, improve strategic planning, and identify new business opportunities. For example, AI-driven software can create unified data platforms, improving procurement and cost management during M&A integrations.

For property management teams, agentic AI can unify disparate data sources, from energy usage to lease expirations, into a single platform. This creates more accurate forecasting for expenses and capital improvements while optimizing procurement during portfolio expansions or acquisitions.

4. Equip Your Workforce with AI Skills

As AI continues to evolve, the demand for AI-skilled workers is increasing. In 2024, jobs requiring AI skills saw an average wage premium of 56%, double the 25% from the previous year. To maintain a competitive edge, businesses must invest in upskilling their employees to ensure they can effectively leverage AI technologies.

For real estate and property management, this means training staff not only on AI-enabled leasing and maintenance tools but also on how to interpret predictive analytics and apply insights to day-to-day operations. An AI-literate workforce can maximize technology adoption and improve portfolio performance.

5. Build Trust to Unlock AI’s Transformative Potential

Trust is foundational to the successful adoption of AI. Businesses must ensure transparency, fairness, and accountability in their AI systems to gain stakeholder confidence. Implementing ethical AI practices and adhering to regulatory standards can help build and maintain this trust.

This is especially important in property management when using AI to screen residents or set rental pricing. Transparent algorithms and clear communication can reduce bias, avoid reputational risk, and build stronger tenant relationships.

Harnessing AI

AI is now a present reality, reshaping industries at an unprecedented pace. The data is clear: companies that embrace AI holistically, treat it as a growth driver, and invest in both people and technology are outpacing their peers in productivity, profitability, and innovation. But success will not come from deploying AI in isolated use cases; it requires a coordinated, enterprise-wide strategy rooted in trust, ethics, and workforce enablement.

The next wave of business leaders will be defined by their ability to align AI with organizational vision, integrate it into decision-making, and scale it responsibly. Those who move boldly today will not only capture efficiency gains but also build entirely new avenues of growth for tomorrow. The question is no longer if businesses should adopt AI—it’s how fast they can move to harness its transformative power.