TORONTO—There's a gap between the impact of emerging disruptive technologies on commercial real estate and CRE executives' recognition of that impact. That's among the findings of the Altus Group's latest CRE Innovation Report showing division among industry leaders at owner-operator and owner-investor firms about the potential of new technologies to drive change.

“CRE firms are facing the challenge of finding a balance between operational benefits delivered by existing technology and the potential disruptive impact to business models by what's coming next,” says Altus CEO Robert Courteau. “Organizations that will lead the way as the next wave of technology arrives are those that seek to change the rules of the game by disrupting traditional business processes and models, adding greater value and gaining competitive advantage.”

Conducted among 400 CRE executives with a total of more than $2 trillion of assets under management globally, Altus' study found that respondents who recognized the disruptive potential of six emerging technologies were in the minority. These included smart building technology (35% of respondents), artificial or machine intelligence (28%), big data and predictive analytics (24%), augmented and virtual reality (18%), blockchain technology (14%) and driverless vehicles (9%).