Cushman & Wakefield unified AI with Databricks

Databricks has been instrumental in enabling Cushman & Wakefield's strategy by allowing them to build modular capabilities and fit them together for different business units while maintaining a common platform. Genie is used for natural-language data quality and governance checks, enabling business users to interact with data without deep technical expertise.

A product operating model with technologists accountable for business outcomes and a capital investment model requiring co-creation with business leaders ensured alignment with business priorities. This has matured the operating model three times in four years, supporting enterprise-wide outcomes.

The Databricks platform has allowed the company to digitize the movement of insights across the organization, accelerating idea-to-outcome timelines from months to days. This facilitates faster integration and activation of new clients and acquisitions.

The company focused on building an enterprise AI core over four years, embedding technologists into business units and prioritizing trust and human behavior over the common 'AI pilot craze'. This approach aimed to unify AI initiatives and build a strong data foundation.

The firm emphasizes that enthusiasm for AI is now balanced with the recognition that a healthy, governed, and scalable data foundation is crucial for accelerating outcomes. Databricks plays a central role in enforcing data uniformity across the organization.