EP 133: How to Embrace AI Without Losing Your Humanity

[upbeat music] Welcome to Real Estate AI Flash, the podcast that helps you understand how AI is changing real estate and the strategies you can use to win. I'm your host, Rajiv Saja. In today's episode, I sit down with Tom Flanagan, Chief Digital Information Officer at RE/MAX Holdings, to discuss one of the biggest questions facing real estate professionals with AI today. How do you embrace AI without losing the human relationships that define this business? Tom shares lessons from leading technology and AI strategy for one of the world's largest real estate organizations, along with practical insights on AI adoption, trust, workflow automation, citizen development, and why the future belongs to professionals who combine technology with authentic human connection. If you've been wondering how to prepare your business for the AI era while strengthening the relationships that matter the most, you'll find plenty of practical ideas in this conversation. Now let's get into today's discussion with Tom. Welcome to episode 133 of the Real Estate AI Flash, and we're already in late July. We're recording this in June, but this is gonna release in late July. And I have my good friend, Tom Flanagan, who is the Chief Digital Information Officer of RE/MAX Holdings. And we're gonna talk about a very exciting topic about how do you embrace all of the changes that are happening in the world, especially with AI, the future, and, uh, how do you still retain your and double down on your humanity. So I can't wait to get into this with Tom. Tom, welcome to the podcast.

Yeah, thanks for having me, Rajiv. As you know, I've been a big fan of the podcast since day one, and I've been a big fan of your work for a long time, so it's a pleasure to be here.

Yeah. Look, I don't know why I-- it took episode, 133 episodes to get Tom on, but at least I can check the box now. So, um, so Tom, I, you know, you, you've all-- you and I have been in real estate for quite a while with different, uh, roles and careers, and I'd love for the listening audience to kinda get to know you in terms of how you got into real estate and, uh, bring us to today.

Yeah. I've been very lucky. You know, I've been in the industry for 21 years, slightly over 21 years now, and I've had the honor of working for some of the best real estate brokerages in the United States and all over the country too. It's been an interesting journey. So I began my career at Residential Properties in Providence, Rhode Island, um, um, back in New England, and then was recruited to, uh, work in Silicon Valley. And so I worked for Alain Pinel Realtors, which was a-

Sure

... wonderful, independently owned, family-owned real estate company in the Bay Area. And then I was recruited to work for The Group Real Estate in Fort Collins, Colorado. Some of your listeners may know the group, uh, from Ninja Selling. It is home to Ninja Selling. And so I was at the group, uh, for about nine years, almost a decade, and, uh, joined, uh, RE/MAX Holdings almost a year ago. So it's been a really interesting jou-journey, and I'm just so grateful that I've gotten to just work with some amazing companies in my career.

Yeah. No, look, I think, um, I