GP 69: Human Is The New Luxury: with Anthony Slumbers

In this episode of the Grow Places Podcast, Tom Larsson sits down with Antony Slumbers, PropTech strategist and advisor, and a pioneer of the sector since launching the UK's first commercial real estate website in 1995. Antony's central provocation is simple: as AI drives the cost of intelligence toward zero, the qualities that remain scarce, and valuable, are distinctly human ones. He calls this "human is the new luxury," and the conversation traces what that means for cities, buildings and the people who make decisions about both. Topics covered include: - Why real estate is shifting from a market of need to a market of want, and what that means for every asset class except housing - The case for mixed use cities, and why offices now have to catalyse human skills rather than simply house desks - The risk of AI-driven inequality, and why Antony believes a new social contract will be needed as returns shift toward capital and away from knowledge work - Why he sees AI as the ultimate thinking partner for real estate professionals, and why the "we need more data first" objection no longer holds - The difference between investors who still want guaranteed NOI from familiar assets, and those willing to back visionary, entrepreneurial development - How cities and towns build a brand and a cluster others want to be part of, from King's Cross to Nashville - The four skills Antony believes everyone now needs: human skills, critical thinking, systems thinking, and data literacy Antony currently runs the Generative AI for Real Estate course, updating it every six weeks to keep pace with the field, and is a widely followed commentator on proptech and the future of work. For more from Grow Places, visit growplaces.com and follow us at We Grow Places across all social channels.