Experts say it can enhance inventory prediction models significantly, but doesn’t replace the art of human judgement.

Keeping track of every item in sprawling warehouses has long been a tedious, error-prone task that few employees relished.

"It's a job people hate to do, and it's not done often enough," says Raffaello D'Andrea, the founder of inventory drone company Verity. "Before our system, warehouses might only do inventory once a quarter, leading to error rates of four to five percent."

This level of error - which is basically discrepancies between recorded and actual physical inventory – can cause overstocking and lost sales.

Enter the robots.

D'Andrea is well known in the industry for his innovative solutions in warehouse automation. He was the co-founder of robotic fulfillment company Kiva Systems, which Amazon acquired in 2012. Now, with Verity, he's turned to AI-driven drones to help transform inventory management again to help minimize workforce and maximize productivity inside the warehouse.

On this episode of Trends & Insights: The Future of Commercial Real Estate, D'Andrea joins JLL executives Kris Bjorson and Sam Brashler to explore the challenges of traditional inventory methods, benefits of drone-based automation, and the future of warehouse technology.