Artificial intelligence and machine learning are the next major tech disruptors expected to shake the market, according to experts on the Investing Evolution: How Innovators Are Driving Change Through Technology panel at RealShare Apartments. Richard Sarkis, CEO and co-founder of Reonomy, called artificial intelligence the “next frontier” in technology integration, and his fellow panelists—Paul Cleary, COO of Money360 and Ron Rossi, VP of analytics at Investor Management Services LLC—agreed. “The quicker you can access data the better for your business, and that is where AI and machine learning come into play,” added Rossi.

The group addressed the commercial real estate industry's hesitance to adopt technology platforms, but insisted that the change is coming and early adopters would stand to profit in the future. “We are in an industry that is ripe for tech disruption. The ones paying attention now are the ones that are ripe to advance in this space,” said Rossi. He added that if you are not already thinking about ways to make your business more efficient through technology, it is almost too late.

For the early adopters, the next phase of technology is coming, and the focus of the panelists was all about integration and getting the right technologies into the right hands. Cleary explained that the next step is getting the data systems to talk to one another to create a system that works to solve the unique problems of the industry. “The thing about tech is you want it to adapt to your process,” he said, adding that no one wants to adapt to the technology.