Artificial intelligence (AI) will not destroy U.K. office demand but will reshape the office sector once again as companies design workspaces to match AI-enabled business practices.
This was largely the message delivered by a specialist panel hosted by Bidwells, the real estate advisory firm, at the annual UKREiiF (the U.K. real estate investment and infrastructure forum) event, held in Leeds, May 19 to May 21.
In a short talk prior to the panel discussion, Sue Foxley, research director at Bidwells said AI-adoption was still at an early stage within the U.K. economy, with only about 6 percent of organizations using AI across their entire enterprises according to official U.K. government statistics. Nevertheless, Foxley said it is likely that more AI-adoption by companies would result in an eventual long-term need for more office space. “The economic theory is it will improve productivity, and there are early signs of that,” said Foxley. “So, in theory, AI activit
