Who’s at risk—and who’s safe?AI is already here—The Atlantic’s Nicholas Thompson explains what that means for your workflow
Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, closed out Forum 2025 with a message that hit home: AI isn’t just changing the tech world—it’s changing your multifamily world, too.
The AI landscape in multifamily is evolving fast. If you work in multifamily, this isn’t just “good to know”—it’s already shaping how you, and your teams work.
Reality is getting harder to recognize
AI isn’t just generating text, answering renters’ questions, and helping teams out. It’s also being used by fraudsters to generate fake renters, deepfake voices, and fake documents. The list goes on.
As AI gets better at sounding human, the job of a leasing agent or regional manager gets trickier.
Thompson warned: we’re entering a world where it’ll be harder to tell what’s real. In multifamily, that means it’s not just about who’s applying—it’s about whether they’re real, verified, and trustworthy.
Who’s building the rules?
Right now, the real power in AI is concentrating. A few big players are building the models that power most of what we’ll use.
Once these models get ahead, they improve themselves. And that makes it harder for new players to catch up.
What does that mean for you? The tools your team uses will be built on top of decisions you didn’t make. So choose vendors and platforms that prioritize trust, transparency, and renter experience.
That’s why Funnel and Fenix partner with Sierra. Learn more about the humans behind that partnership.
Who’s at risk—and who’s safe?
Here’s the rule of thumb: if your work looks like what AI was trained on (repetitive, rule-based, written), it’s more automatable.
But if your job involves people, coaching, decision-making, or handling exceptions? That’s your advantage. That’s what can’t be replaced.
Leasing isn’t going away—but it is changing.
The parts of your role that are routine? AI can help with those.
The parts that involve empathy, context, and closing? Still all you.
You don’t have to be technical—just tactical
Thompson said it best: “AI won’t beat journalists. But journalists who use AI will beat those who don’t.”
The same goes for property management teams.
You don’t need to be an engineer, the solutions are built for you. You just need to be open to having an AI assistant who takes care of the small (but important) moments in the renter journey.
It’s not about replacing your work—it’s about speeding up the parts that slow you down, and put a computer screen inbetween you and your renters and residents.
Data privacy matters
When you work in multifamily, you handle renter data every day. Pay stubs. Bank info. The list goes on of documents that many property management companies use to screen their applicants.
It’s important for your vendors in the screening and verification process to be secure (SOC2 certified), and to take data privacy seriously.
Make sure the platforms you use are enterprise-ready and protect that data by design.
Be the person on your team who asks where the data goes—and who has access to it.
Will AI make us more human—or less?
One of Thompson’s most thought-provoking takeaways: AI has the power to disconnect us—or bring us back to what matters.
Used well, AI can give you time back. Let you focus on real conversations. Help you coach your team. Serve renters faster and more personally.
That’s not less human. That’s a chance to be more human—on your terms.
The takeaway
AI is already in your workflow—even if you haven’t noticed it yet.
Your value isn’t going away—it’s shifting. We believe the future of multifamily is AI + humans.
The teams that adopt AI thoughtfully will outperform those who don’t.
Ask questions. Experiment. Be curious about your new AI colleague. You’re not getting replaced—you’re getting upgraded.
Read more about our approach to AI, and our partnership with Sierra.