Landlords risk losing tenants as AI adoption outpaces office readiness

Landlords under pressure to ensure buildings are ‘AI ready’ for tech dependent occupiers, says WiredScore

– 94% of real estate senior decision makers say digital connectivity is now as fundamental to their business as water, gas and electricity
– 81% of companies now want digital connectivity pre-installed in their workspace
– Only 1 in 4 tenants have moved into offices with internet pre-installed

New York, September 2026, The rapid adoption of AI systems into businesses across corporate America is driving demand from occupiers for ‘AI ready’ infrastructure to be pre-installed in their buildings, with move-in ready space now becoming a concrete lever at negotiation stage, says WiredScore.

According to recently published research from the global certification organisation for digital connectivity and smart technology across the built environment, almost all (99%) of real estate decision makers interviewed*, expect AI to be adopted across their organisation within the next two years. As business operations become increasingly dependent on AI and other data intensive technologies, digital infrastructure is moving rapidly up the list of occupier requirements, with the report revealing that 65% of tenants have already defined their connectivity requirements before they begin searching for office space. Significantly, 94% say that digital connectivity is now as fundamental to their business as water, gas and electricity, and 81% claim that they choose space with connectivity pre-installed.

The report, Fit for Lease: How digital connectivity became the new test for Grade A offices, emphasises that landlords need to ensure that their buildings are now AI-ready, which means having the digital foundations in place to support increasingly tech dependent occupiers, if they are to attract and retain blue chip tenants.

John Meko, VP, North America, WiredScore, explains, “AI adoption is moving extraordinarily quickly, and this has consequences for the digital infrastructure of buildings. Companies can invest heavily in AI platforms, cloud technology and increasingly sophisticated workplace tools, but the impact of AI on workplace infrastructure extends far beyond software. Those technologies ultimately depend on the physical infrastructure connecting people, devices and systems.”

For WiredScore, an AI ready, ‘turnkey’ building means more than just providing fast internet. The checklist includes: networking that is pre-installed rather than left to the tenant to arrange; connectivity that works from day one of occupancy; infrastructure capable of scaling with a tenant’s growing AI use; and governed, well-structured building data that makes smart building systems usable rather than just a novelty.

Yet there is already a significant gap between occupier expectations and what buildings provide. Despite 81% of occupiers saying they would choose space with connectivity pre-installed, only one in four tenants currently has working connectivity from day one of occupancy. With business leaders expecting AI to be the fastest growing workplace technology over the next two years, WiredScore highlights this gap as an opportunity for landlords to invest in their digital infrastructure, removing a significant source of friction for occupiers while making their buildings more attractive to top-tier businesses.
“This rapid pace of change creates a new challenge for landlords,” says Meko. “A building that meets an occupier’s digital requirements today must also have infrastructure capable of scaling as that occupier’s technology requirements evolve throughout the lease.”

The commercial consequences of the upfront infrastructure investment extends to both tenant retention – and extension, with 89% of respondents saying that poor connectivity would cause them not to renew their lease, and 88% advising they would sign a longer lease in return for superior connectivity.

“We’ve traditionally defined Grade A offices through location, design, amenity and specification,” explains Meko. “Those things remain important, but the AI revolution is transforming the world of work and occupiers increasingly need to know whether a building can support how their business operates today and how it will operate in three, five or ten years’ time. It’s about putting in place the infrastructure that gives the occupiers the capacity and resilience to adapt.”

For more information please contact: Gemma Haimes, (WA) +44 (0) 7707927588, [email protected].

Notes to Editors:

Report methodology:
*This research was commissioned by WiredScore and conducted by Opinium Research. Fieldwork was carried out between 1 and 22 June 2026. The sample comprised 600 senior managers and above responsible for facilities and/or real estate in office or industrial premises, at companies of 100+ employees that rent or lease their premises.

About WiredScore:
WiredScore is the organization behind the WiredScore and SmartScore certifications: the internationally recognized digital connectivity and smart building rating systems for real estate.
Working with landlords, developers and tenants across more than 40 countries, WiredScore
helps buildings assess, improve and promote their digital infrastructure — from connectivity and mobile coverage to smart building capability and future-readiness. WiredScore was acquired by Meter in March 2026.

About Meter:
Meter is the San Francisco-based technology company that provides in-suite internet infrastructure and networking hardware for tenants. Its acquisition of WiredScore brings the global standard for in-building digital connectivity together with the infrastructure that delivers it to the suite, with the aim of strengthening international adoption of best practices in digital building performance.