What if the widespread adoption of AI actually makes our physical workplaces more human, not less? In this episode, we unpack ground-breaking global research that turns the AI isolation narrative on its head.

We explore why AI power users are spending less time working alone, why traditional real estate efficiency metrics are failing, and how forward-thinking leaders can design physical environments that act as catalysts for shared learning, deep trust, and human breakthrough.

Expert

Janet Pogue McLaurin is a Principal and the Global Director of Workplace Research at Gensler, the world's premier global architecture and design firm. For more than four decades, Janet has occupied a singular space at the intersection of business strategy, human data, and architectural design. She leads the Gensler Global Workplace Survey, which is now in its 23rd year and stands as the world’s most comprehensive, ongoing investigation into how people experience the built environment, analyzing over 120,000 respondents across its history.

Takeaways:

• The surprising 2026 data revealing that AI power users spend more time socializing, learning, and building team networks than non-users.
• The reality of the hybrid "sweet spot," where data shows employees globally need to be in the office around 65% of the week to maximize productivity.
• Why the pre-pandemic office layout was already fundamentally broken by February 2020 due to an over-reliance on individual heads-down design.
• An architectural blueprint that flips the standard layout by prioritizing open collaboration hubs and silent focus zones
• How to build neuro-inclusive environments by "designing to the edges" through co-design and providing purposeful variety.
• Why real estate must be viewed as an investment in building "weak ties" and corporate trust, rather than just an administrative overhead expense to minimize.

Chapters

• 00:00 Episode Introduction: The AI Finding That Stopped Me
• 01:48 Guest Welcome & The Scale of the Gensler Global Workplace Survey
• 02:17 Debunking the Myth: The Counterintuitive Behavior of AI Power Users
• 05:14 The Hybrid Sweet Spot: Redefining Where Work Needs to Happen
• 07:43 February 2020: Remembering the Broken Pre-Pandemic Office
• 13:57 Designing for Behavior: Moving from Space Efficiency to Human Experience
• 17:03 Case Study: How Gensler San Francisco Flipped the Script on Spatial Layout
• 20:14 Designing to the Edges: Co-Design, Neuro-Inclusivity, and Purposeful Abundance
• 27:14 Turning Real Estate from an Expense into an Investment in Trust
• 29:12 The Geography of Collaboration: Corridors, Coffee, and Cross-Functional Spaces
• 35:21 Hacking the Office: Why 34% of Your Staff Are Making DIY Fixes
• 42:55 Final Question: What Does People Positive AI Look Like?

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Connect with Janet Pogue McLaurin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-pogue-mclaurin-faia-fiida-604b913/
• Read the full report on Gensler’s Research Hub: https://www.gensler.com/gri/global-workplace-survey-2026
• Download the Latest Report: Access Liveable’s Spring 2026 Brief on AI Accountability in the Built Environment: https://makeitliveable.com/spring-brief
• Partner With Us: Learn how Liveable helps organizations track and scale social value: www.liveable.earth
• Connect with Host Gayathri Unnikrishnan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayathri-ukrishnan/

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW:

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This podcast is proudly brought to you by Liveable, an independent social sustainability organization based in California.

• Our Newsletter: If you like the podcast, you'll like the newsletter. Gayathri breaks down what it actually takes to build sustainable, human-impact frameworks: https://liveable.substack.com/
• Support Our Work: Sharing the show, subscribing, and leaving a review goes a long way and helps us keep these conversations going.

What happens when the software managing your property makes a decision that your team cannot explain, justify, or reverse? In this solo episode, host Gayathri marks the return of Changing Tomorrow by breaking down the hidden realities of the rapid AI transition inside the building industry. Moving far beyond automated thermostats, modern property systems now quietly dictate lease pricing, security access, and tenant screening. This episode reveals how unchecked automation turns historical societal data into a permanent digital wall, and introduces the essential governance framework leaders need to maintain human oversight.

Host Authority Gayathri is the founder of Liveable, an organization dedicated to measuring, communicating, and leading on social value, public health, and people-positive strategies within the built environment. With years of experience advising leaders across manufacturing, operations, and design, Gayathri bridges the gap between technical data systems and real-world human impact.

Key Themes Explained:

• The New Smart Building: How automated software now controls access, dynamic rent pricing, security experiences, and facilities management without human intervention.
• Algorithmic Redlining: The process by which predictive algorithms infer race, socioeconomic status, or identity through thousands of secondary data points.
• The Illusion of Neutrality: Why large language models and predictive analytics inherit, memorize, and repackage our worst historical real estate mistakes.
• The Petrified Wood Effect: How over-relying on backward-looking data sets calcifies modern real estate operations, making them brittle when unexpected crises hit.
• The NIST Framework Adapted: Five crucial questions every real estate executive must ask immediately before deploying automated software.
• Microseason Preview: A first look at upcoming conversations with global experts from Gensler, Stanford University, and the creative arts on navigating a synthetic world.

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 The Shifting Political and Technological Landscape of 2026
• 01:45 Introducing the Liveable Spring Brief: Social Value and AI
• 03:15 The New Definition of a Smart Building
• 05:00 Why Predictive Analytics are Not Neutral
• 06:30 Global Cases: RealPage, European Valuation Models, and the Netherlands Deficit
• 10:15 Understanding Algorithmic Redlining via Secondary Data
• 11:40 The Petrified Wood Analogy: Calcifying Real Estate Operations
• 14:00 Historical Context: The 1970 New York City Firehouse Data Error
• 16:45 The NIST Framework: 5 Core Governance Questions for Leaders
• 22:00 Microseason Preview: Upcoming Conversations on Workplace, Data, and Creativity

Links & Resources

• Read the full Liveable Spring Brief
• Connect with Gayathri on LinkedIn

This podcast is proudly brought to you by Liveable, an independent social sustainability organization based in California.

• Our Newsletter: If you like the podcast, you'll like the newsletter. Gayathri breaks down what it actually takes to build sustainable, human-impact frameworks: https://liveable.substack.com/
• Support Our Work: Sharing the show, subscribing, and leaving a review goes a long way and helps us keep these conversations going.

Join Gayathri and Sarah Enaharo to explore the intricate intersection of sustainability and well-being. This conversation navigates through the nuances of environmental health, community well-being, and their interconnectedness. The conversation covers a range of topics from how sustainable choices impact communities, the significance of clean resources, and the role of individuals in shaping a greener world.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about integrating sustainability into their daily lives and work, offering practical advice and inspiring stories from Sarah's extensive experience in the field.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Adaptive Sustainability: The evolving nature of sustainable practices and how flexibility is key in addressing global environmental challenges.
• Wellness & Environment: The significant role of clean air, water, and supportive communities in personal health.
• Community-Centric Sustainability: The varying impacts of environmental factors on different communities, and the role of equitable resource management in fostering a sustainable future.
• Sustainable Manufacturing Insights: Innovative practices in the manufacturing sector that are paving the way for a more sustainable industrial future.
• Personal Sustainability Strategies: Practical, everyday actions that individuals can take to contribute to a larger sustainable impact.

🌟 Guest Spotlight: Sarah Enaharo

Sarah Robinson Enaharo, a Greenbiz 30 under 30 awardee, is the Global Sustainability Director at Milliken & Company. With a decade of experience, she specializes in integrating sustainability into various sectors including industrial and manufacturing. Sarah's leadership extends to serving on boards like the Ohio Advisory Board for Trust for Public Lands and the ASID DEI Committee. A speaker at major industry events, she holds a Master's in Engineering & Technology Management and a Bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering. Sarah is passionate about gardening and outdoor family activities.

📚Resources:

• USGBC website
• Blog and Transcript

🔗Stay Connected:

Gayathri: LinkedIn

Sarah Enaharo: LinkedIn

This podcast is proudly brought to you by Liveable, an independent social sustainability organization based in California.

• Our Newsletter: If you like the podcast, you'll like the newsletter. Gayathri breaks down what it actually takes to build sustainable, human-impact frameworks: https://liveable.substack.com/
• Support Our Work: Sharing the show, subscribing, and leaving a review goes a long way and helps us keep these conversations going.