Weekly Blog #18
“Price is only an issue in the absence of value.” Zig Zigler
Every major technological leap has carried predictions of mass unemployment. The steam engine threatened farmers; calculators were expected to make accountants irrelevant; and the internet was forecast to erase retail. Yet with each disruption the labor market adapted. Entire job categories did disappear, but new, often better, higher-paying roles emerged in their place—what Joseph Schumpeter coined creative destruction.
Artificial intelligence is the latest force to trigger that familiar anxiety. But this time does feel different. And in many ways, it is. Unlike past revolutions, AI is not simply a new machine or technology that marginally improves productivity. It learns, evolves, and in some instances, writes its own code. That dynamic alone accelerates progress at a pace never seen before. What once unfolded over generations now happens in a handful of years.
Consider the adoption curves of major technologies. Electricity took fifty years to spread broadly; smartphones, about ten. AI is advancing faster still because it’s being layered onto an existing digital foundation—global computing infrastructure, ubiquitous internet access, cloud storage, and a population already comfortable with tech. Add the fact that AI is helping build AI, and we’re witnessing Moore’s Law go vertical. Advances aren’t linear; they’re exponential.
This begs the question, “Will AI replace jobs?” More specifically, my job? According to the WEF’s Future of Jobs Report, roughly 92 million roles globally will be displaced by 2030, yet more than 170 million new roles will be created. Net-net, that’s a positive, however, the transition will not be evenly distributed.
Roles that are rules-based, repetitive, or administrative are most at risk. If a task can be mapped onto a spreadsheet, checklist, or flowchart, AI can do it faster, cheaper, and without needing a coffee break. Routine cognitive tasks such as basic analysis, data processing, low-complexity programming, or high-volume clerical work will be hit hardest.
On the other hand, roles that rely on creativity, human judgment, physical presence, emotional intelligence, or interpersonal relationships are far more resilient. Tradespeople, medical providers, negotiators, advisors, designers, entrepreneurs, and real estate professionals fall squarely in this camp. These are not merely “knowledge” roles; they are value-creation roles.
This distinction is essential. AI excels at tasks, but humans remain far better at context. Technology can improve how decisions are made, but cannot replace the trust, judgment, or nuance that real people bring to real-world situations.
History reinforces this pattern. When TurboTax arrived, many predicted the end of accounting. Instead, it eliminated low-value tasks and freed CPAs to become more strategic. When Robinhood offered free trade execution, it didn’t kill financial advisors; it clarified their real role—providing counsel, discipline, and planning rather than just placing trades. Technology threatened those who couldn’t articulate their value but elevated those who could.
AI is poised to do the same. It will wipe out tasks, not talent. It will eliminate job functions, not entire professions. Professionals who embrace AI will outperform those who resist it; those who ignore it will find themselves competing with peers who now work faster, smarter, and more efficiently. The danger isn’t AI replacing you—it’s another human using AI better than you do.
Nowhere is this more evident than in real estate and mortgage lending. Algorithms already transform how properties are marketed, valued, and financed. Predictive analytics can identify likely sellers before they think about listing. AI-driven systems can analyze borrower risk more efficiently than traditional credit models. Lenders are pre-underwriting files and generating disclosures in minutes instead of days. Title companies are exploring blockchain solutions to verify ownership and prevent fraud.
Yet despite these advances, real estate remains deeply personal. A data model cannot understand a buyer’s dreams, calm a nervous first-time homeowner, persuade a seller to accept an offer, or see potential where others see problems. Markets are driven by information, but transactions are driven by emotion—and people want other people helping them navigate their most meaningful financial decisions.
The professionals who thrive in the coming decade will blend high tech with high touch. They will use AI to offload the low-value tasks that consume their time while investing their energy into what only humans can do: advising, interpreting, negotiating, and delighting clients.
In that sense, AI will not replace real estate professionals but will widen the gap between those who embrace it and those who don’t. Much like GPS didn’t eliminate drivers but made those who used it more efficient, AI will amplify the professionals who learn to ride the wave rather than swim against it.
The broader lesson is that value is migrating away from information and toward interpretation; away from access and toward advice; away from processing and toward perspective. Anyone can ask an AI to pull comps or structure a loan. Far fewer can help a client understand what the data means, how to navigate trade-offs, and how to make a wise decision. That is the differentiator.
As with every technological revolution, the winners will not be the fearful or complacent. They will be the curious, the adaptable, the entrepreneurial—those who ask not whether AI will take their job, but how they can use AI to create more value for their clients.
AI won’t replace you, but professionals who know how to use AI absolutely will replace those who don’t. Technology has never eliminated opportunity—it has only reshuffled where that opportunity lives. AI is not your competitor—it is your co-pilot. And in the hands of a skilled professional, it’s rocket fuel. Don’t fear it; embrace it!
Mark Lazar, MBA
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
