Subscribe via:
Show Summary
In this episode of the Real Estate Pros Podcast, host Scott Bursey sits down with AI futurist and former Google DeepMind executive Steve Brown to discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming the way businesses operate. Steve shares insights from his decades of experience in technology, including his time at Intel and Google DeepMind, and explains why AI is the most impactful technology shaping the future of business.
Resources and Links from this show:
-
Listen to the Audio Version of this Episode
Investor Fuel Show Transcript:
Steve Brown AI Futurist (00:00)
I’m really focused now on getting businesses to the third step, which is to be an AI first company. helping them understand that it’s not just about using AI, it is about reorganizingorganizing
your entire business around AI, making AI the engine that drives your business. Today,
People are the engine that drives a business forward. But that is limiting because there’s a certain number of hours in the day, certain number of people you have, certain amount of productivity they have, multiply that together and it tells you the impact you’re gonna have. If you bring AI into the equation, you can scale that and that really unleashes your business.
Scott Bursey (02:08)
Hi, everybody, and welcome to the Real Estate Pros podcast. I’m your host, Scott Bursey . And today I’m joined by someone I’ve been really looking forward to chatting with, Steve Brown. Few people have a front row seat to the AI revolution like Steve. Steve is an AI futurist and former executive at Google, DeepMind, and Intel. Today, he helps Fortune 100 leaders build AI, first organizations, and navigatethe transformation reshaping their industries. His clients include Nike, Bank of America, and Disney. He’s delivered more than 500 keynotes across five continents and is the best seller author of AI Ultimatum. Steve, welcome to the show. There it is.
Steve Brown AI Futurist (02:52)
Scott, great to be here, thanks for having me.Scott Bursey (02:53)
I think our audience is really gonna take something away from your unique perspective that AI isn’t just a tool, Steve, but a digital teammate. Steve has a way of explaining how to offload the repetitive suck, if you will, of real estate, the data entry and rescheduling, so we can double down on the high value human connections that actually close deals. Let’s dive in, shall we, Steve?Steve Brown AI Futurist (03:19)
Yeah, let’s do it.Scott Bursey (03:20)
So first off, for people who may not be familiar with your world, give us the short version. What’s your main focus these days?Steve Brown AI Futurist (03:28)
My main focus is helping businesses, business leaders to become AI first companies, to understand AI, to understand how to build an AI first business. And what that means is… ⁓not just using AI tools, but wrapping your entire business around AI. And if you can do that, that will allow you to grow your business, not just 10 or 15 or 25 % a year, but you can start legitimately thinking about how do I grow my business 3X, 5X, 10X next year.
Scott Bursey (04:01)
And what markets are you operating in?Steve Brown AI Futurist (04:03)
Yes. So I work across all industries. I work globally, I work with Fortune 100 companies and I work across every industry. So I have a lot of banks as clients. One of my biggest clients is a uranium mining company. I work with retailers, manufacturers, you name it, I’m trying to help out.Scott Bursey (04:05)
The entire world, we could safely say.Love it, Steve. What caught my attention about you was the way that you’ve been able to translate the mad science happening at places like Google DeepMind into a survival guide for the rest of us. You have the rare gift for taking multi-billion dollar technology and showing a real estate pro exactly how it changes their workflow on a Thursday afternoon. That’s not easy, Steve, especially in this climate.
Steve Brown AI Futurist (04:36)
YeahScott Bursey (04:55)
What’s been the key to keeping your machine running smoothly?Steve Brown AI Futurist (05:46)
I mean, I’ve been practicing at this for 30 years, learning how to communicate better and better, how to tell stories, how to…how to take complex information and package it in a way that people can one, hear, two, remember, and then three, act on. So I try to make sure that everything, as I just did there naturally without thinking about it, everything is in threes, because that’s the way the human brain works, we remember in threes. But I work really hard to understand the technology deeply, and I have a couple of degrees in microelectronics. So there was a time when I could design chips and write software, I don’t do that anymore, but I understand the technology quite deeply
And then it’s my job, because I understand it deeply, you have to understand something in some detail to then be able to simplify it and explain it to people so that it’s accurate without dumbing it down. So that’s what I’m trying to do for people. And I probably research three or four hours a day just reading about up on the technology to stay up, but it’s moving so quickly. And then I try and repackage that so leaders understand what is it, what can it do for me, and what do I need to do next.
Scott Bursey (06:53)
It’s impressive that you’ve reached that level of autonomy. Was there a specific moment, Steve, or a particular deal where you realized, OK, hey, this is actually working?Steve Brown AI Futurist (07:05)
Oh, I realised I was good at what I did, or that people would pay for it. Yeah, let me think, there a moment? Well, I remember when I… I’ll tell you a slightly different story. When I was at Intel, and I was at Intel for 25 years, I started in the UK, which is why I had this outrageous British accent, and…Scott Bursey (07:10)
when that light bulb went on.Steve Brown AI Futurist (07:23)
They used to use me as an MC for events. And I remember talking to the event organizer and there was a parade of external speakers. And I how much do these bozos earn then? And he told me, and I thought, wow, that’s impressive. And he said, why don’t you do this? You should do this. You’re really good at this. And so that set me on the path. And that was probably in 2013, 2014. And I started my business 2014 and haven’t looked back because what I do has been so in demand.And that’s, mean, yes, it pays my mortgage, but what I get out of it is helping businesses. I want to make sure that the brands I love and care about are still going to be here five and 10 years from now. And that’s only going to happen if they get on this AI train, and I’m trying to help as many businesses as I can do that. So I guess I’m a well-paid teacher in some ways, but I love what I do because of the impact I hope to have through these partnerships.
Scott Bursey (08:18)
Yes, and your passion just is very transparent, and we do appreciate that. Every operator I know, Steve, has a moment where things got real. Maybe a deal that went sideways or they had to pivot fast. You mind sharing one of those moments with us?Steve Brown AI Futurist (08:35)
I don’t know if I had to pivot fast. I suppose the big realization for me, I used to be a futurist for hire, helping businesses, and this is from 2014 onwards, helping companies understand a basket of technologies and then helping them to apply those to drive their business forward. And that was Internet of Things and augmented reality, blockchain and AI and other technologies. The big aha for me was in aboutWell, I went to work for Google DeepMind in 2021 and worked for them for a couple of years and…
Everything I saw in the labs there, all the conversations I had, helped me realize and just sort of crystallize what I already knew, which is not all technologies are created equal. And there’s one technology which it is outsized in its impact for humanity, and that is AI. So I pivoted my business from being a general futurist that will help you understand technology and how it will shape your business to one that is exclusively focused on AI, because there is nothing that is going to change your business like AI.
Scott Bursey (09:37)
And that’s the kind of stuff people don’t talk about enough. And honestly, Steve, it’s what separates the folks who just dabble from the ones who stay in the game long term. Let me ask you this. What are you most focused on solving or scaling next?Steve Brown AI Futurist (10:28)
So the latest, a couple of years ago, I was helping people understand, yes, you need to embrace AI, you need to enable your workforce with AI-powered tools, and that’s step one of a three-step transformation for businesses. So I’ve done that part of it now. I think most companies have realized, okay, we need to use this AI thing and just use it to help our employees be more productive or do things a bit smarter.⁓ I’m now helping my clients through the second phase and really trying to push them to realize they need to get to phase three as quickly as possible. what’s phase two and phase three and what am I walking on? Phase two is where you re-engineer your business. You’re, and I write about this in the book, you’re looking at your business processes, your workflows, you’re breaking them down into tasks and then you’re asking the question, which of these tasks is still best done by a human? And there’ll be many, ones that are about human to human connection.
empathy, negotiation, entrepreneurial stuff, creative stuff, There will still be human tasks. But there will be some tasks that are now better done by an AI agent, and think of that as a digital employee, or if there’s a physical component to your work, a robot. And robots have made incredible strides just in the last six months. So that’s the work that a lot of businesses are just entering now, but that is…
It’s great, you’ve got to do that. The first step enabling probably 3 % of the work, maybe 3 % of the impact. This next step of re-engineering your workflows, probably 25, 30 % of the work and about 30, maybe to be generous, 35 % of the impact you’ll have. But then
I’m really focused now on getting businesses to the third step, which is to be an AI first company. helping them understand that it’s not just about using AI, it is about reorganizing
organizing
your entire business around AI, making AI the engine that drives your business. Today,
People are the engine that drives a business forward. But that is limiting because there’s a certain number of hours in the day, certain number of people you have, certain amount of productivity they have, multiply that together and it tells you the impact you’re gonna have. If you bring AI into the equation, you can scale that and that really unleashes your business.
It doesn’t mean you don’t need people, you do. But you wrap them around the AI and they steer and guide that business forward. So that’s what I’m really focused on right now, helping businesses to make that transition, to understand that vision.
and to have the courage, quite frankly, to take the step in that direction.
Scott Bursey (12:59)
Well said, Steve. Very well explained. We see people chase doors or revenue all the time. For you, is that goal the destination, or is it just the fuel that allows you to do something even bigger on a broader scale?Steve Brown AI Futurist (13:13)
Yeah, mean, my personal mission as a human, which I’ve thought about quite a lot, is to help people use technology to improve the lives of other people. That’s why I exist. It’s why I show up and do what I do. And I get paid well for it.But I use that money to develop the channels I have, to continue to develop the content quality that I have. I come with great videos and animations and you get a full show from it. It’s a full multimedia experience. There’s no bullet points or ⁓ ugly slides when you hire me as a keynote. So that’s what I invest money in. Yeah, I want to retire at some point, but I love what I do so much. It’s not about the money. It’s about helping as many businesses make this transition as possible.
what I don’t want is a bunch of brands who become the seers and the blockbusters and the codex of the very near future.
Scott Bursey (14:13)
and your passion is very visible. That’s big, especially when you’ve already got the resources in place. The next move can either compound things or create chaos, depending on how you play it. Now, I know a lot of our audiences either earlier in their journey or looking to level up, Steve. And I think they’d benefit from hearing this.When it comes to building relationships and drawing your network, what’s made the biggest difference for you?
Steve Brown AI Futurist (15:22)
I mean you are your network. ⁓In some ways I know all the things I know because of my network. ⁓ I so rely on getting advice and other perspectives from other smart people who are also well connected in networks and I pulse them regularly. ⁓ I think it’s something you have to constantly invest in. You can’t just sit on your laurels and rely on your existing network. You need to constantly be
feeding that network, making sure that you’re giving to it as much as you’re taking and constantly expanding it in new directions. I want to have as many breakfast meetings and conversations with new people as I can all the time because I will always learn something that I can then use. So my attitude to networking is it should be a lifelong effort and it’s not something that you can just be looking forward. You have to always be
looking to your existing network and nurturing it and reaching out to people. Hey, how you doing? I haven’t spoken to you in a while. So that’s been my approach and it’s worked really well.
Scott Bursey (16:31)
Excellent words of wisdom. Everyone says provide value, but when you were starting out and you didn’t have a huge bank account, Steve, or a massive portfolio, you know, what was your currency? How did you actually get the attention of the heavy hitters?Steve Brown AI Futurist (16:41)
Yeah.⁓ I mean, some of it is information. ⁓ Having worked at Intel for so long and then more recently Google ⁓ DeepMind. DeepMind is Google’s AI research labs in London. ⁓ So I obviously have that information, that wisdom that I bring, but ⁓ it’s really about the packaging and the passion, know, showing up in a way where I’m genuinely trying to help people. I’m not…
I don’t come on site and then just do my dog and pony show and it’s the standard rote presentation. It’s all carefully researched and connected to a client’s business because I’m trying to have an impact for them and that… ⁓
you have to show up with that mindset. I think if it’s just, I wanna make X amount of money, I need this many clients, and here’s my dog and pony show. That’s not, it’s not satisfying either. You it doesn’t make you, you can sit on your sofa at night and think, well, I made some money today, but you don’t, it doesn’t fill you up here, right?
Scott Bursey (17:50)
Being authentic is how you build real relationships. And Steve, relationships are everything in this space. All right, before we wrap, if someone wanted to reach out, connect with you, Steve. Maybe collaborate or learn more about what you’re doing, what you have on the horizon, what’s the best way for them to contact you?Steve Brown AI Futurist (17:57)
Mm-hmm.Easiest way to reach me, go to my website, stevebrown.ai. So it’s really easy to remember that one. ⁓ And if you’re interested in learning more about the topics that I talk about, ⁓ AI and how to use it, what the flavors are, I wrote a book specifically for business leaders, so there it is. It’s the AI Ultimatum. You can pick up a copy on Amazon. It’s hard back and paperback. And if you prefer learning in a different way, if you’re not a big reader, you’d rather watch a course
for example, if you go to my website, stevebrown.ai, at the top of the screen there, you’ll see a link to my course. ⁓ You can download it onto your tablet or your phone so you can watch it when you’re working out, when you’re on a plane next. It’s a great way to learn about the different flavors of AI, what you should be doing in your business. those are the big ways to get hold of me. And if you like following me on LinkedIn, people following, if you like, let me try that again. And if you like following people on LinkedIn, the easy way to find me on LinkedIn,
There are a lot of Steve Browns out there, my parents didn’t have creative naming strategy for me. You can go to linkedin.com slash in slash future Steve and that’s how you’ll find me.
Scott Bursey (19:20)
Perfect.Well, listen, I appreciate your time, Steve, your story, and definitely your perspective. We need more people in this space who are doing it the right way. Thanks again for being here. And for those of you, yes, it was just outstanding. What a great, authentic conversation. And for those of you…
Steve Brown AI Futurist (19:32)
Thanks Scott, it’s pleasure.Scott Bursey (19:40)
tuning in. If you got value from this, make sure you’re subscribed. We’ve got more conversations coming up with operators just like Steve, who are out there building real businesses. We’ll see you in the next episode, everybody.
