Chicago's AI Office Boom Illusion
Our read
Commercial real estate developers are desperately treating AI job postings as a magic wand for their empty office towers, ignoring the reality that the most productive AI talent works from home in their underwear.
What happened
A new commercial real estate report ranks Chicago third in the nation for AI job growth, sparking claims from property developers that tech-ai demand will rescue the city's struggling downtown office market.
The brief
The attempt to map a digital-first, decentralized software boom onto physical 1990s office infrastructure is pure cope from landlords holding bag-level vacancy rates.
Key findings
The attempt to map a digital-first, decentralized software boom onto physical 1990s office infrastructure is pure cope from landlords holding bag-level vacancy rates.
Their pitch: AI job growth will inevitably translate into massive physical office leases and revive hollowed-out downtown business districts.
The fight
Named sides below. The brief above already picked.
- Real Estate Optimists
AI job growth will inevitably translate into massive physical office leases and revive hollowed-out downtown business districts.
- Remote First Realists
AI talent is highly distributed and software-native, meaning companies will hire Chicago-based engineers without renting expensive skyscraper floor space.
Why now
Why now. The Bisnow report has triggered a wave of local business coverage and search interest regarding Chicago's tech competitiveness and the future of its Loop district.