Artificial intelligence is rapidly progressing from a specialized technology into a fundamental force influencing the everyday world of work. Yet much of today’s conversation around AI focuses narrowly on software productivity gains and individual skills while overlooking a more consequential question for occupiers, landlords, and designers:

What does AI actually look like in the workplace, and how will it shape the spaces where work happens?

This matters because technology has never been neutral to space. From the rise of the personal computer to the proliferation of video conferencing, each wave of innovation has left a physical imprint on how we work, where we work, and how buildings are designed. AI’s impact will be no different, but this time the change will be faster, broader, and more deeply integrated into the fabric of work itself.

From invisible software to physical presence

Today, AI primarily exists as a “second monitor”: an interface layered atop our laptops, phones, and browsers. Tools like Microsoft Copilot, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and Anthropic’s Claude function as software overlays that assist us inside the applications we already use. They live in browsers, cloud environments, and collaboration platforms rather than in distinct physical hardware.

But history suggests that this won’t be the end state. As AI becomes more capable, its hardware expression may shift away from conventional screens toward devices that feel more natural and integrated into daily life.

Signals from big tech: wearables and ambient AI

Several early developments hint at how AI could become more physically woven into the workplace:

• In 2025, OpenAI completed its acquisition of Jony Ive's AI device startup io Products in a deal reportedly worth around $6.4–$6.5 billion, positioning the company to develop a new generation of AI-optimized hardware beyond conventional screens.
• Meta's Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses integrate voice commands, cameras, audio, and live translation capabilities, offering a glimpse of how AI might become ambient and hands-free rather than confined to a laptop. These features allow users to ask questions about what they are seeing and receive real-time responses from the glasses themselves, including live translation across multiple languages.
• Plaud NotePin, is a lightweight wearable pendant designed to record, summarize, and translate conversations, capturing meetings and insights without a laptop ever opening. The device demonstrates how AI can be used as a passive workplace assistant.

Even though most of these products are still consumer-facing today, they point toward a future in which AI seamlessly blends into the devices we wear or interact with daily. The question then becomes: what enterprise-grade hardware will emerge for the workplace? Will it be AI-enabled headsets and wearables from established vendors? Or will entirely new form factors redefine interaction and collaboration?

Workforce training: preparing people for an AI-embedded future

As AI becomes embedded in workflows, organizations face a parallel challenge: how to prepare their people to work alongside these tools.

Many companies are already launching structured training programs to build AI fluency at scale. For example, Deloitte's AI Academy offers immersive programs designed to sharpen AI and generative AI skills across roles and seniority levels, reinforcing the need for broad organizational literacy

At the same time, workforce development platforms like BetterUp are weaving AI into coaching and professional growth, helping employees adapt to new ways of working while emphasizing ethical and human-centered adoption practices.

This training imperative intersects with a stark reality in some sectors: employers in fields such as consulting and professional services are reconfiguring their talent pipelines around AI, including transitioning out employees who cannot be reskilled for AI-augmented roles. That shift has profound implications for talent strategy, culture, and the kinds of workplaces organizations design to attract and retain talent.

What does this mean for real estate?

For designers, landlords, and occupiers, AI raises a core question: Will the workplace remain recognizable, or will it evolve into something fundamentally new?

In the near term, AI will amplify trends already underway. Over time, it may reshape the assumptions that underlie our built environments. Instead of talking into phones or staring at screens, we will be talking to our screens and holding “human” conversations with our tech. Soundproofing, desk orientation and sightlines will all impact layout and acoustic & lighting considerations.

Base building impacts

AI is increasingly shaping office infrastructure, not just interior layouts. As real-time processing connected sensors, and data-driven systems become part of everyday workplaces, buildings may need updates to core infrastructure, energy systems, and access points to fully support AI-enabled operations:

a. Localized compute and edge infrastructure. Edge computing brings data processing closer to where it’s generated, such as on site servers or office embedded devices. This enables faster decision making but requires more on site compute, networking, and power infrastructure to support AI driven operations.

b. AI-enhanced energy efficiency. AI-powered building systems can continuously monitor occupancy, lighting, and HVAC needs, optimizing energy consumption in real time. This means that even as building systems become smarter and more responsive, overall energy use can decrease, helping organizations reduce costs and environmental impact while maintaining comfort.

c. Shifting access and mobility design. Autonomous and AI assisted vehicles may reduce traditional central business district parking needs, prompting flexible curbside zones and reimagined drop off areas to accommodate new workplace mobility patterns.

Interior workplace design

Inside offices, AI is likely to accelerate existing trends:

a. More virtual and voice-enabled collaboration: As voice-enabled and agentic AI grows, employees will interact with digital systems through speech as much as screens. This transition raises acoustic demands and supports the case for varied zones: quiet spaces for focused AI dialogues and collaborative hubs optimized for shared, multi-modal interactions. Research from Steelcase indicates that leaders anticipate significant space redesigns within a few years because of AI integration and that workplaces must support both human-to-human and human-to-AI interaction patterns.

b. Competition for new talent profiles: AI will also intensify competition for talent, with research showing demand for senior AI and technology roles spiking in industries such as law. Traditional environments may struggle to appeal to candidates with backgrounds in tech-driven companies, prompting rethinking of space to better support experimentation, innovation, and cultural identity.

c. Faster feedback loops between data and design: Real-time analytics from sensors, booking systems, and IT data will be accelerated by AI, enabling workplaces that evolve responsively based on utilization, experience, and performance metrics. This could usher in adaptive spaces that configure themselves dynamically to meet shifting needs.

Designing for an AI-driven future

AI's impact on work will not be defined by a single device, layout, or space type. Instead, it will unfold across layers: technology, talent, infrastructure, and experience.

Organizations that succeed will treat AI not as a standalone technology but as a catalyst for more human-centered environments, enhancing thoughtful thinking time to innovate, create and lead. Careful integration of AI can support better decisions, richer collaboration, and environments that adapt intelligently to people. But lasting value will come from keeping humans at the center, ensuring that as artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in buildings and workflows, work remains deeply human.