Jean-Simon Venne
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, BrainBox AI
An AI-powered building management platform is making real estate portfolios smarter, greener and more efficient.
The rapid acceleration of AI is having a transformative impact on numerous industries. One particular area where AI’s influence is gaining momentum is the built environment. Jean-Simon Venne, Co-founder and CTO at BrainBox AI, explains: “AI has matured from experimental applications focused primarily on energy optimisation, predictive maintenance, and basic automation. It is now a core operational layer of building maintenance being fully integrated into building platforms.”
AI for building operations efficiency
From its humble debut in buildings as a nascent application, AI has evolved into a strategic enabler of smart and net-zero buildings. BrainBox AI has been a leader in this industry shift with its autonomous AI for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems as well as its generative AI-driven virtual building engineer, ARIA, both of which have been recognised by TIME Magazine as Best Inventions of the year.
Clients using the company’s AI-powered HVAC solution — such as Dollar Tree and Cammeby’s International Group — have reported significant, measurable reductions in both energy costs and carbon emissions. At Cammeby’s office tower in New York City, HVAC energy consumption dropped by 15.8%, accompanied by a 16.1% reduction in related carbon emissions. Meanwhile, Dollar Tree reported total energy savings of over US$1 million across 616 of its locations.
AI is also playing a vital role in addressing the growing shortage of qualified facility managers and technicians. As teams shrink and legacy HVAC systems age, maintenance backlogs continue to grow — compounded by increasing pressure to meet sustainability and energy efficiency targets. Agentic AI solutions, such as ARIA, help bridge these gaps, empowering facility managers to do more with fewer resources.
AI’s influence is
gaining momentum is
the built environment.
Future-proofing industry assets
As AI and IoT technologies continue to evolve, those who embrace innovation will be better equipped to meet rising expectations, drive sustainability and secure long-term value by strengthening their operations.
Venne concludes: “We embrace the future with AI at the helm because it is incredibly exciting. Traditional approaches simply can’t keep up with the complexity and pace of today’s demands.” Adopting AI is not just about staying competitive; it’s about ensuring operational resilience and future-proofing assets in a rapidly changing industry.
To find out more: https://brainboxai.com/en/
