
Many buildings should not adopt AI yet. Faulty sensors, weak control sequences, inaccessible trend data, and neglected maintenance will undermine even a strong model. Adding intelligence can automate poor decisions and obscure their cause.
The answer is to treat AI as a governed supervisory capability. The existing building management system, or BMS, should continue to run deterministic controls and safety functions. AI should operate above it, interpreting data and recommending bounded actions.
This changes the investment case. The board is deciding where better decisions can produce measurable value, what authority software should receive, and what evidence is required before that authority expands.