176. AI's Real Impact on Coworking: Ben Wright on Top Line Growth, Data Quality, and What Actually Works

What happens when someone who lived through the internet boom of the '90s starts seeing the same patterns with AI—and decides to map out exactly what it means for your coworking business? This week, we chat with Ben Wright, who's spent eight years in flexible workspace—first at Square Foot, then leading office space.com at Instant Group, and now helping operators understand how AI will actually impact their P&L. Ben just launched a seven-part series breaking down AI's real applications in coworking. His bottom line: this is more about growing revenue than cutting costs. When 50% of your expenses are real estate, a chatbot isn't saving you money on rent. We talk about: Why AI feels eerily similar to the internet boom (and why that matters) The "wrong goes wrong, right goes right" principle—and why clean data wins How Unity AI is helping operators turn 70% of their leads into revenue Why 75% of AI agents built for Yardi do one thing: data cleaning Why human hospitality will never be replaced by a bot This conversation is proof that AI isn't about replacing humans—it's about freeing operators to do what they do best while automation handles the repetitive work. If you're wondering whether AI is hype or reality, this episode gives you a clear roadmap for what to implement now. Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: Ben Wright on LinkedIn Connect with your Hosts: Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn Connect with Jamie on LinkedIn Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast