Bricks, Bytes, and Bold Moves: The Future of Real Estate with Fifth Dimension

Dr. Kate Jarvis sits down with Colin Joynt, SVP and Chief Information Officer at BXP, to talk about what it actually looks like to embed AI inside one of the most conservative, data-rich industries in the world. Colin walks through BXP's journey from document comparison experiments to a culture where people are walking up to him in the break room asking to try things - and why that shift in language, from "start" to "try," matters more than it sounds. They get into the intellectual laziness trap (why you have to earn the right to use AI tools), what separates a real vendor partner from noise, and Colin's personal acid test for trust. And the bottom line on AI adoption in 2026: everybody's got a plan until they get hit in the face. The organisations coming out ahead are the ones who kept trying anyway.

Dr. Kate Jarvis and Johnny Morris, co-founders of Fifth Dimension, wrap up 2025 and share predictions for 2026, cutting through AI agent hype to reveal what actually drives results in real estate.They explain why their 2025 prediction came true - that "hire an AI employee" marketing would flop. Domain-specific complexity means you can't just buy a generalist agent called "Dean" to run your development business. Success requires decomposing workflows, not magical one-click solutions.The conversation explores the critical role of "tinkerers" - growth-minded users who experiment with AI and become unofficial AI engineers. Johnny shares how Fifth Dimension now empowers these users to build bespoke workflows that spread throughout organizations, driving value faster than top-down rollouts.Kate and Johnny tackle the MIT study showing 95% of enterprises saw no AI ROI, framing the successful 5% as early adopters who'll widen the gap in 2026. They demystify "enterprise AI search," explaining why plugging SharePoint into an LLM fails, and what data infrastructure actually enables predictive insights that drive alpha.Their final advice: if you want to win big, you have to play big. The era of AI experimentation is over. 2026 will separate organizations that commit resources from those still watching from the sidelines.Essential listening for real estate professionals and business leaders navigating AI transformation beyond the hype.

In this podcast episode, Dr. Kate Jarvis sits down with Samantha Kempe, Chief Investment Officer and co-founder of IMMO, a Series B PropTech transforming residential real estate investment in Europe. They explore how technology is unlocking the largest asset class in the world - Europe's €40 trillion residential market - which institutions have historically ignored 96% of due to fragmentation and inefficiency.Samantha shares her journey from accidentally falling into real estate at Cushman & Wakefield, through the intensity of Blackstone's investment teams, to founding IMMO inspired by the Invitation Homes model. She discusses the challenge of raising capital through multiple economic crises, the pragmatic decisions around building versus buying technology, and why transparency - not black box AI - is essential for institutional trust. The conversation covers critical topics like data infrastructure in real estate, the bottom-up revolution driving PropTech adoption, and why the industry needs to stop joking about being behind the curve. Samantha emphasizes that successful AI implementation requires breaking complex processes into micro-steps with clear auditability, while warning that firms refusing to embrace technology will face an existential threat sooner than they think.

In this podcast episode, Johnny Morris sits down with James, Global Head of AI and Data at Gleeds and host of Project Flux. They explore the transformative impact of AI on construction and real estate, discussing how professionals must embrace education and experimentation rather than viewing AI as just a "tech problem."James shares stories about people having their 'light bulb moment' with AI - that instant when everything clicks and they suddenly see how the technology can transform their overwhelming workload. He debates the evolving role of tools like Microsoft Copilot and explains how agentic workflows are reshaping project management. The conversation covers practical AI adoption strategies, the importance of prompting skills, and why waiting for perfect data before implementing AI is a mistake. James emphasizes that AI success comes from combining top-down strategic support with bottom-up innovation, while warning against the dangers of "shadow AI" when organisations fail to provide credible alternatives to consumer tools.

In this episode, Dr. Kate Jarvis sits down with Michael Mandel, CEO and Co-founder of CompStak, who shares his journey from commercial real estate broker to PropTech innovator. Michael recounts how he identified inefficiencies in the way brokers exchanged lease comparables and built a solution that has fundamentally changed how the industry accesses and utilizes data.Michael discusses the challenges of launching a real estate technology company before "PropTech" was even a term, finding the right technical co-founder, and securing funding in an industry traditionally resistant to change. He offers valuable insights on prioritizing data quality over quantity, the impact of AI on real estate roles, and why domain expertise is critical for success in the commercial real estate technology space. Michael's perspective on the future of the industry and how technology is reshaping traditional roles provides valuable lessons for entrepreneurs, real estate professionals, and anyone interested in the intersection of data and commercial real estate.

In this episode, host Dr. Kate Jarvis speaks with Max Beard from Knight Frank's Innovations team about the transformative impact of AI on the property sector. Max shares insights from his role driving technological adoption at one of the world's leading real estate consultancies. From practical AI implementation challenges to long-term industry disruption, they explore how Knight Frank balances cutting-edge technology with the human expertise that remains essential in real estate. Discover how AI is reshaping property valuation, customer experience, and market analysis while hearing Max's perspective on what separates successful technological innovation from passing trends.

In this episode, Johnny Morris sits down with Drs. Nikodem and Monika Szumilo to explore the transformative impact of AI on real estate education and practice. As Director of the Bartlett Real Estate Institute at UCL, Nikodem brings an economic perspective to AI adoption in property markets, while Monika, a physics lecturer and AI engineer, offers technical insight into how these systems actually work.The conversation delves into thought-provoking questions about AI creativity, the evolution from basic text prediction to sophisticated analysis tools, and practical approaches to AI implementation across real estate organisations. The Szumilos share their experience teaching AI to property professionals, revealing how different stakeholders, from research teams to senior executives - are embracing these technologies.Whether you're curious about the "vibe working" trend, bottom-up adoption strategies, or how to effectively validate AI outputs in property contexts, this episode provides valuable frameworks for understanding how AI is reshaping real estate practice. 

In this episode, Dr. Kate Jarvis speaks with Lucy Gordon, CEO and Founder of Excel in Property, about the critical role of financial modeling in real estate investment decisions. Lucy shares her journey from aspiring architect to Excel expert, discussing how she discovered her passion for building complex financial models for non-traditional assets like hotels and residential trading platforms. The conversation explores the importance of accurate cash flow forecasting, using models as negotiation tools, and the common errors that plague the industry.Lucy opens up about her mental health struggles that led her to leave traditional employment and start her own consultancy, emphasizing the need for more transparency around mental health in real estate. They also discuss the evolution of modeling standards across the industry, the potential impact of AI on financial analysis, and Lucy's mission to educate the next generation of analysts through her training platform.This episode offers valuable insights for anyone involved in real estate investment, financial modeling, or running a specialised consultancy business.

In this episode, Dr. Kate Jarvis and Johnny Morris of Fifth Dimension explore AI's evolving impact on real estate. They discuss why certain AI features capture public imagination while others remain underutilised, contrasting viral Studio Ghibli-style images with powerful but less celebrated deep research capabilities that can synthesise information from hundreds of sources.Kate and Johnny examine the significant gap between experimental AI development platforms like Lovable, which enable people to build applications with minimal coding experience, and the robust, scalable systems required for enterprise deployment. While these tools don't deliver complete solutions on their own, they represent valuable components in a larger technical ecosystem. Johnny emphasises that AI tools like Lovable, Cursor, v0 have become indispensable for their engineering team, and that software engineers without these tools are now at a competitive disadvantage.A key insight from their conversation is that LLMs alone can never be solutions - they must be part of broader systems. They argue that while models provide "cheap intelligence," businesses need sophisticated systems that overcome LLM limitations, particularly for mission-critical applications requiring consistency and reliability.Kate and Johnny also predict AI reasoning capabilities will transform how professionals validate work, allowing experts to focus on areas requiring their unique judgment while AI handles routine analyses. They share how real estate professionals can leverage these technologies for complex workflows and data analysis.A valuable listen for anyone interested in how AI is reshaping real estate and business operations.

In this episode, Dr. Kate Jarvis sits down with the CEO and Co-founder of Cherre, L.D. Salmanson to discuss his journey building a cutting-edge data infrastructure platform for the real estate industry.The conversation explores the complex challenges of real estate data management, where everything from square footage calculations to lease terms can be defined differently across markets and even within the same organization. You'll hear how Cherre's platform tackles the fragmented data landscape by connecting, structuring, and standardizing information across portfolios, enabling more reliable analysis and decision-making. They discuss why data accuracy is fundamental for the future of AI in real estate, how the industry is moving toward data-driven strategies in response to market shifts, and why large language models alone can't solve the unique data challenges real estate faces without proper infrastructure.Hear about the vision for virtual analysts that could transform how properties are evaluated, the potential for more efficient markets when everyone has access to high-quality information, and how the integration of AI with structured real estate data might ultimately lead to lower costs and more seamless transactions across the built environment.

In this episode, Johnny Morris speaks with Antony Slumbers, a pioneer in real estate technology, educator, and entrepreneur. They dive into how artificial intelligence is transforming the real estate industry and why leaders must "lean in" to this technology. Antony shares his perspective on AI as a general purpose technology that will become ubiquitous across all aspects of real estate operations, emphasizing that companies should be focusing on how to 10X their productivity with smaller, more agile teams.They discuss the challenges of implementation, the importance of employee training, and Antony's philosophy that "human is the new luxury" - suggesting that as AI becomes more prevalent, human experiences and connections will become more valuable. Antony offers insights into the future of office buildings as catalysts for human interaction rather than just desk spaces, and practical advice for individuals looking to stay ahead in this rapidly evolving landscape.

In this episode, Dr. Kate Jarvis speaks with James Pellatt, a forward-thinker who recognised tech's potential in real estate before others. James shares insights from his remarkable career, including his transformative work implementing Building Information Modeling (BIM) at Great Portland Estates and his current role helping real estate businesses embrace digital transformation as a Founder of Digital Trees. The conversation explores the psychology of technology adoption, the challenges of moving from documentation to structured data, and the future of real estate in an AI-first era. James offers practical wisdom on creating advocacy for change, measuring ROI beyond immediate financial returns, and the critical importance of leadership in driving innovation. Essential listening for anyone wanting to thrive in tomorrow's real estate landscape.

Join Fifth Dimension co-founders Dr. Kate Jarvis (CEO) and Johnny Morris (CPO) in a fireside chat for the season finale of Bricks, Bites, and Bold Moves: The Future of Real Estate. As they reflect on 2024's AI journey - moving past "AI is magic" toward practical ROI discussions - they explore how AI is reshaping real estate operations, the crucial role of human expertise, and what distinguishes genuine innovation from vaporware. They discuss the future of AI adoption in real estate, predicting a two-speed world where early adopters thrive while others risk falling behind. Whether you're a real estate professional, tech enthusiast, or industry leader, this candid conversation between Kate & Johnny offers valuable insights into AI's transformative impact on real estate in 2025 and beyond.

In this episode, Ross Gissane, Sector Managing Director at Arcadis, shares his journey from traditional building surveying to embracing cutting-edge technology. From his early days using chain surveys to exploring the potential AI, Ross offers fascinating insights into how the profession is transforming. He discusses the increasing complexity of modern buildings, the challenges of data collection, and why surveyors should embrace AI as a powerful tool rather than view it as a threat. With practical examples and candid reflections on both successes and challenges, Ross paints a compelling picture of building surveying's future as a data-driven profession that combines technical expertise with innovative technology.

In this episode, Andrew Knight, Global Lead in AI Data and Technology at RICS, shares his perspective on the intersection of artificial intelligence and real estate. Drawing from his 14-year tenure at RICS and extensive background in technology, Andrew discusses why the industry needs to move beyond the 'PropTech' label and focus on solving fundamental business challenges. He provides practical insights on transforming document-heavy processes, the evolution of Building Information Modelling (BIM), and the critical importance of maintaining professional expertise whilst adopting new technologies. Through real-world examples and industry observations, Andrew explores how AI can address the sector's skilled labour shortage while emphasising that technology should augment rather than replace human expertise. The conversation covers everything from data quality challenges to measuring ROI on technology investments, offering real estate professionals a pragmatic view on navigating digital transformation in a traditionally document-driven industry.

In this episode, host Dr. Kate Jarvis sits down with Katie Palencsar, an experienced advisor to early-stage businesses and former leader of the Female Innovators Lab at Anthemis. Drawing from her experience selling technology to education and financial institutions, Katie shares invaluable insights on how legacy businesses can thoughtfully embrace innovation. Through practical examples and lessons learned, she discusses how organisations can start small with AI adoption while maintaining trust and addressing stakeholder concerns. The conversation explores everything from the evolution of data analytics to the future of work, offering business leaders a practical roadmap for navigating digital transformation in traditional industries.

In this conversation, Vanessa Hale, Head of Research and Strategy at BNP Paribas Real Estate, shares her journey in the real estate industry, the evolution of technology, and the impact of AI on the sector. She discusses current trends in commercial and residential real estate, the role of generative AI, and offers insights on how professionals can adapt to the changing landscape. Vanessa emphasises the importance of collaboration, education, and embracing technology while also highlighting the need for strong soft skills in the industry.