A biomimetic, AI-driven property management model: connecting cellular analogies and intelligent systems for next-generation real estate

Purpose Post-pandemic vacancy, task digitisation and ESG rules weaken location-centric playbooks. We pilot an AI-enabled biomimetic framework – Real-Estate Cell Management (RECM) – to anticipate and reconfigure space use. Design/methodology/approach We integrate a 1900–2025 US vacancy series with a ten-dimensional Smartness Index and a Delphi-weighted Occupant-Synergy matrix; χ2 and correlation tests indicate where portable tasks migrate. Findings Office vacancies rise as tasks become portable; housing behaves as an AI-supported “home-cell”. Smart-building upgrades that overlook occupant engagement can raise vacancy. Practical implications Thresholds (Smartness ≥ 0.60; Synergy ≥ 0.60) trigger retrofit, re-programme or divest decisions and can be embedded in covenants, ESG dashboards and adaptive zoning. Social implications RECM links asset strategy to digital-equity infrastructure and privacy-aware data governance. Originality/value RECM fuses biomimicry with AI occupant analytics to extend PM metrics and provide a reproducible decision toolset for occupant-centric portfolios.