Property Point

In this world of AI and other technological advancements, you don’t want to be the person who wanders around the office like a big old clumsy Tyrannosaurus Rex bumping into all the youngsters and stepping on their laptops and other devices.

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It’s one of the challenges of our times; getting the balance right in business in a world that is increasingly controlled by AI, robotics and a rapidly changing IT environment.

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I remember, some years ago now, when older family members had refused to embrace computer technology and mobile phones etc. They were really left behind and felt excluded in a world that had moved ahead without them.

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I’ve got a 19-year-old son who doesn’t have to think about it. Current and evolving technology is part of his life and, like others in his age group, he is completely at ease with something that is just part of his make-up and comprehension of the world around him.

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The trap you can fall into is letting the kids do all the IT stuff for you. My son set up our old TV with all the streaming services etc, which was the easy option for me, but I find it’s important to get involved and do it yourself otherwise everything will move ahead and you won’t be able to do things for yourself.

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But I am still stuck in some of the old ways. If I am ordering a takeaway meal I still ring the restaurant and go and pick it up. The old T-Rex wanders into the Thai or Indian joint and picks up his plastic bag of goodies, pays, and drives home.

There aren’t many of us left. Uber Eats baby. Everyone has embraced it.

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My wife and daughter were having dinner together in Brisbane recently and my daughter noticed that her stockings or tights had “run” or a ladder in them.  

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My wife suggested she jump in the car and drive to a nearby supermarket and get another pair. But my daughter ordered a new pair to be delivered to the restaurant by Uber. They were there in a jiffy and the night continued without the peskyinterruption of having to leave the restaurant to buy them.

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It’s a great example of the modern world making things easier and how many of us need to ensure we are adjusting and understanding how things can now be done.

There is another side to the coin, however. People have told me that I should get AI to write my columns. They say I could give it some examples of columns I have written and give it an idea for a new column and tell it to knock out 600 words on my chosen topic in my style of writing.

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It’s something I would never do. Apart from the fact that it would somehow seem like I was cheating, it would also not be authentic. I feel that however boring or pedestrian my stories and comments are, at least they are mine. They have come from my noggin, my experiences. It is my take on the world, not something that has been cobbled together by artificial intelligence.

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It’s similar in the world of real estate and, I’m sure, business generally. You need to embrace the technology, use it when it creates a better service, a superior experience for buyers and a better result for sellers.

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But there is still a place for picking up the phone and calling buyers, following up from open homes, doing the hard work that needs to be done as an agent.

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In a world of AI, robotics and Uber Everything the human element, the person-to-person connection still needs to happen to deliver good service and create the best result for clients.

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