Gemini or Copilot? Choosing the Right AI for CRE

Everyone’s talking about “AI transformation” and “productivity gains.” But for most CRE teams, the real question is simpler:

How do these tools actually help you underwrite a deal, analyze comps, or prepare your next IC memo faster?

Both Google and Microsoft have built enterprise-grade AI toolkits. The difference isn’t which is “better.” It’s which one aligns with how your firm already works, and where your team spends the most time.

Here’s what’s inside each toolkit, and how CRE firms are using them right now.

The Google Enterprise AI Toolkit

If your firm uses Google Workspace, here’s what you get access to with Gemini Enterprise:

1. Gemini in Core Apps (Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive)

This is AI embedded directly where you’re already working. A side panel appears in each app giving you instant access to Gemini’s capabilities without switching windows.

Real CRE Example – Portfolio Analysis in Google Sheets:

Ask Gemini “Which properties have occupancy below 90% and operating expense ratios above the portfolio average?” and it instantly highlights 7 underperforming properties, revealing that 5 share the same property manager.

2. NotebookLM Enterprise

This is Google’s research and knowledge synthesis tool, designed specifically for working with dense documents and complex information.

Real CRE Example – Due Diligence Document Review:

Upload 50 critical documents from a shopping center data room to NotebookLM and it identifies a recurring roof leak issue mentioned across three separate documents that wasn’t disclosed—giving you $750K in negotiating leverage.

3. Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform

This is where Google’s offering gets powerful for custom workflows. You can build AI agents that perform specific, repeatable tasks for your organization.

Real CRE Example – Deal Screening Agent:

Build a custom agent that monitors your deals inbox, reads teasers, and categorizes opportunities as “Priority Review,” “Consider,” or “Pass,” so your VP gets a Monday digest of 8-10 legitimate opportunities instead of reviewing 40-60 weekly submissions.

4. Gemini Live with Screen Sharing

This is Google’s conversational AI that can see your screen and respond in real-time.

Real CRE Example – Underwriting Review:

Share your Excel model screen with Gemini Live and talk through it—Gemini points out your 2.5% rent growth is conservative compared to Denver’s 4.2% average, improving your equity multiple from 1.9x to 2.2x.

5. Google Vids with AI

Google Vids is Google’s video creation tool, now enhanced with AI for business communication.

Real CRE Example – Property Marketing Videos:

Upload property photos and drone footage to Google Vids with a brief, and it generates a professional 90-second marketing video in an hour versus $5,000 and two weeks with a vendor.

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The Microsoft Enterprise AI Toolkit

If your firm uses Microsoft 365, here’s what you get with Microsoft 365 Copilot:

1. Copilot in Excel

This is where Microsoft’s AI really shines for data-heavy CRE work.

Real CRE Example – Agent Mode for Financial Analysis:

Activate Agent Mode in Excel for Q3 portfolio analysis—it creates performance sheets, builds pivot tables, generates charts, and identifies unusual expense patterns in 8 minutes versus two full days manually.

2. Copilot in Word

Professional document creation powered by AI.

Real CRE Example – Investment Memorandum Creation:

Prompt Copilot to create an investment committee memo with all standard sections, then your team fills in specifics—completing in 90 minutes versus 4-5 hours.

3. Copilot in Outlook

Email management and communication powered by AI.

Real CRE Example – Inbox Triage:

Return from vacation to 847 emails and Copilot summarizes by topic, identifies urgent items, and surfaces the 23 emails requiring personal attention within 30 minutes.

4. Copilot in PowerPoint

Presentation creation that actually looks good.

Real CRE Example – Quarterly Board Presentation:

Copilot generates a 15-slide quarterly board deck with professional design and proper structure—you populate with actual data in 4 hours versus two full days.

5. Copilot in Teams

Meeting productivity and collaboration.

Real CRE Example – Facilitator Agent in Development Meetings:

Enable the Facilitator agent in Teams to generate agendas, take notes, identify decisions, and assign tasks—everyone gets action items automatically and your project manager saves 2 hours per week.

6. Copilot Analyst Agent

This is Microsoft’s reasoning agent for complex data analysis.

Real CRE Example – Market Entry Analysis:

Use the Analyst agent to analyze Phoenix industrial market data—it employs advanced reasoning to recommend a value-add strategy focused on older buildings in established submarkets, completing week-long analysis quickly.

7. Copilot Search

Enterprise-wide search that understands context.

Real CRE Example – Finding Deal Documents:

Type “environmental report Dallas warehouse 2023 acquisition” in Copilot Search and it surfaces Phase I and Phase II reports in 3 seconds across SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, and email.

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If you use both ecosystems:

Many CRE firms use Gmail for email but Excel for financial analysis. Or they use Google Docs for collaboration but PowerPoint for client presentations. If this is you, Gemini Enterprise has the advantage—it’s designed to work across both Google and Microsoft applications. You can build agents that pull data from Excel, analyze documents in Google Drive, and generate reports that work in either ecosystem.

The Real Question:

Where does your team spend most of their time? If the answer is Google apps, get Gemini Enterprise. If the answer is Microsoft apps, get Microsoft 365 Copilot. If the answer is “it’s mixed,” Gemini Enterprise’s cross-platform approach might give you more flexibility.

What This Means for Your Firm

The CRE firms that figure out enterprise AI in 2025 will have meaningful advantages:

• Faster deal execution: Your team underwrites more opportunities in less time
• Better data insights: You spot portfolio trends and problems earlier
• Improved documentation: Investment memos, board presentations, and lease documents are produced faster and with higher quality
• More efficient operations: Routine tasks that consumed hours now take minutes
• Competitive edge: You respond to opportunities faster than competitors still doing everything manually

The technology is real, the tools work today, and the ROI is measurable. Firms that adopt thoughtfully—starting with specific use cases, measuring results, and expanding deliberately—will build sustainable advantages over firms that wait.

Start simple: Pick one team, one workflow, one pain point. Deploy AI tools to solve that specific problem. Measure the time saved and quality improved. Then expand. The firms winning with enterprise AI aren’t the ones who boiled the ocean on day one—they’re the ones who started small, proved value quickly, and scaled what worked.

The question isn’t whether AI will transform commercial real estate. It already is. The question is whether your firm will lead that transformation or follow it.

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Comparison Table: Google vs. Microsoft Enterprise AI Tools

Capability	Google’s Tools	Microsoft’s Tools
AI in Email	Gemini in Gmail (draft responses, summarize threads, suggest replies)	Copilot in Outlook (prioritize inbox, draft emails, meeting scheduling)
AI in Documents	Gemini in Google Docs (writing assistant, content generation, summarization)	Copilot in Word (document creation, editing, formatting, tone adjustment)
AI in Spreadsheets	Gemini in Google Sheets (data analysis, chart generation, formula help)	Copilot in Excel (COPILOT function, Agent Mode, advanced financial analysis, sentiment analysis)
AI in Presentations	Gemini in Google Slides (slide creation, content suggestions, design)	Copilot in PowerPoint (presentation generation, design suggestions, content from other docs)
AI in Meetings	Gemini in Google Meet (meeting summaries, action items)	Copilot in Teams (Facilitator agent, real-time note-taking, decision tracking, meeting recap)
Research & Document Analysis	NotebookLM Enterprise (multi-document synthesis, source citations, audio overviews)	Copilot with document upload (single-document analysis, Q&A)
Custom Agents	Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (build custom agents with no-code tools)	Copilot Studio (build agents with natural language or pro-code)
Advanced Data Analysis	Gemini data insights across platforms	Analyst agent (advanced reasoning for complex analysis)
Conversational AI	Gemini Live with screen sharing	Copilot Chat across all apps
Enterprise Search	Gemini search across Google Workspace	Copilot Search across Microsoft 365 ecosystem
Video Creation	Google Vids with AI	N/A (not included in Copilot)
Integration Breadth	Works with Google Workspace + Microsoft 365 + Salesforce + SAP + Box	Works best within Microsoft 365; connects to external sources via Graph connectors
Best For	Firms primarily using Google Workspace; firms needing cross-platform flexibility	Firms primarily using Microsoft 365; firms wanting deep native integration

Understanding what’s actually in each toolkit—and how other CRE firms are using these specific tools—is the first step toward making AI work for your organization.