Operational AI is changing how the built world operates.
Building operations are entering a new era. As AI moves from the digital world to the physical world, buildings require AI that can understand operations, people, purpose, and context.
In this flagship point of view, discover what Operational AI for the built world is and why it represents the next operating model for the built world.
Download the 27-page definitive guide to learn:
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Why the built world needs more than Physical AI, and where Operational AI is different
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The seven layers of the Operational AI stack, from sense to verify
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What Operational AI looks like in education, healthcare, real estate, retail, airports, and stadiums
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A Willow point of view
We believe the built world needs a new intelligence layer. We call it Operational AI.
Operational AI connects live building data with operational context, human expertise, and intelligent action. This is what enables buildings to understand what matters, decide what to do, and continuously improve. The full framework is explored throughout this guide.
Can AI understand and act in the physical world?
Embodied autonomy, robots, autonomous vehicles, cameras, drones, and machines that perceive and act in real environments.
Can AI understand and discover the laws and behavior of nature?
Physics, chemistry, biology, materials, and energy, reasoning about thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, filtration, and equipment degradation.
Can AI help buildings operate better for the people they serve?
Connecting physical understanding to operational consequence, for the people, purpose, and environments a building exists to serve.
“The question is no longer whether AI can understand the physical world. It is whether AI can help the physical world operate better.”
Bert Van Hoof, CEO of Willow
About the author
Bert Van Hoof is Chief Executive Officer of Willow.
He spent nearly two decades at Microsoft, where he was a Partner and General Manager of Azure IoT and created Azure Digital Twins. He led product groups across Windows, Health Solutions, and Office, and built the Azure team focused on real estate, infrastructure, and the energy grid.
He serves on the board of the Alliance to Save Energy and as a commissioner on the Global Commission on Healthy Indoor Air Quality. He previously chaired the Active Efficiency Collaborative.
