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AI in CRE Operations:
from hype to hands-on.
The field guide from today’s table — the three modes of working with AI, the command key, and the honest real-vs-hype sort.
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The one-line rule: chat tells you how. Agents get it done.
Three modes of working with AI
Chat back and forth. You ask, it answers. The mode most people know.
In CRE: draft a vendor email, summarize a lease clause, explain a new energy code.
Give it a goal and step away. It works your files and apps, then returns a finished deliverable. (e.g., Claude Cowork)
In CRE: turn a folder of invoices into a spend summary; auto-build the weekly portfolio report.
Agentic coding tools for your technical team. (e.g., Claude Code)
In CRE: internal dashboards, data clean-up pipelines, system integrations.
Driving an AI agent like a pro
/clearWipe the conversation, start fresh. Use when switching tasks./compactCompress history into a summary — keeps the thread, frees memory./contextSee how much working memory you’ve used./branchSplit off a copy to try something risky; the original stays safe./btwAsk a side question without derailing the main task./modelSwitch between fast-and-cheap and slow-and-powerful. Match model to task./usageYour cost-control gauge./initGenerate a project profile so the AI learns your conventions first./helpThe full menu — your source of truth in the moment.Type / in any session to see all 60+ commands — and you can create custom ones for repeatable workflows, like a one-word command that builds your weekly vendor report the same way every time.
