While people are increasingly attracted to AI-powered environments, many are also looking for time out from constant digital interaction. This reflects the desire for technology that works discreetly in the background and enhances human exchange rather than replacing it, according to one of the findings of JLL's Global Consumer Experience Survey 2025 . For the real estate industry, this creates an opportunity and the challenge of creating an environment that meets these requirements – in the office, in housing, retail and infrastructure alike. For the global JLL survey, 12,000 participants in 19 markets and 64 cities were surveyed – including Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich.
More than 60 percent of consumers in the survey said that they like to use technology-free spaces for "digital detoxification". At the same time, however, 72 percent of global respondents believe that cities should be digitized and 67 percent think that integrating AI into urban infrastructure would significantly improve their lives there. "The paradox between the need to pull the plug and use AI and technology-enabled spaces at the same time is clearly noticeable," says Mechthild Brandt, Head of Consulting JLL Germany. "People's resistance is rarely directed against technology per se, but rather against its poor or less intuitive implementation. This is evident in the fact that consumers prefer conscious technology integration spaces that feel personal, frictionless, and connected, without the need for constant screen time. This opens up the possibility for real estate developers to create intelligently integrated environments where the technology works invisibly."
