“AI can give answers. People give purpose. In Philippine real estate, purpose preserves value.”
– Ernesto C. Perez II, CTEP, REB, Real Estate Attorney & Author
By Realttorney®
Simon Sinek’s recent warnings about AI are not anti-technology. They are a call to defend the human processes that cultivate judgment, trust, and purpose. For Philippine real estate professionals (lawyers, brokers, salespersons, appraisers, and allied advisers), the strategic response is threefold: (1) automate routine tasks but never outsource formation of judgment, (2) productize and charge for human-only services, and (3) deploy AI under strict human-in-the-loop, privacy, and ethical safeguards. This article provides implementation guidance, Philippine case examples, and templates for publication and compliance.
The problem Simon Sinek warns about. Why it matters
In his recent interview by Simon Squibb posted on YouTube, Simon Sinek sounded a clear alarm: artificial intelligence will rapidly absorb routine tasks and produce high-quality outputs, and in doing so, it risks eroding the very processes — the struggle, practice, and imperfect learning — that build human judgment, empathy, and trust. The result, he warns, could be a society and economy with excellent answers but diminished human connection.
For Philippine real estate service practitioners (RESPs), this is no longer a theoretical debate. The local market is already being reshaped by Proptech platforms, AI-powered listing search and match functions, and new AI concierge apps that promise faster, cheaper customer journeys.
The strategic question for veteran and novice RESPs alike is simple: how do we use AI’s strengths while preserving and amplifying the uniquely human skills buyers and sellers still (and will always) pay for — judgment, relationships, stewardship, and ethical responsibility?
Furthermore, recent regulatory guidelines make it clear that deploying AI in commercial services is not a legal free-for-all. The principles attached to privacy, transparency, and contractual safeguards all matter.
This article translates Sinek’s core message into concrete, role-specific guidance for the Philippine context, with practical steps, and short case examples from the local market. This is an update of the first article that I wrote about artificial intelligence, published on April 20, 2023, entitled “Redefining Real Estate: How Brokers Can Leverage AI to Elevate Their Business.”
Current Philippine Landscape: Speed of Adoption and Regulatory Guardrails
Proptech marketplaces (Lamudi, Carousell/Property24, and other local portals) and AI-enabled property platforms are active in the Philippines. They remain major gateways for buyers and sellers and already use automated search, chatbots, and analytics to improve matching during search inquiries. In May 2025, an Inquirer Business article featured the launch of an AI-powered real estate concierge app in the Philippines that is designed to serve property buyers, owners, brokers, and global investors.
These tools accelerate the front end (lead generation, matching, initial Q&A) but do not replace legal title checks, fiduciary advice, or complex negotiations. The National Privacy Commission’s (NPC) advisory clarifies that the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and other regulations apply to AI systems that process personal data. These firms must embed in their platform the guidelines on transparency, consent, lawful basis, and protection of the rights of the subject.
The Core Thesis: Double Down on the Human Advantage
AI will win on speed, pattern-matching, and commoditized outputs. Human professionals must win on purpose, empathy, ethical judgment, and long-term stewardship. Practically, this means:
1. Stop competing with machines at their game (raw speed or generic outputs).
2. Productize and charge for what only humans can do: dispute navigation, legacy planning, nuanced negotiation, and trust-based advisory.
3. Use AI to remove friction (collecting and sorting data, document drafting, repetitive tasks) and free time to deepen human relationships.
4. Deploy AI under strict human-in-the-loop, privacy and ethical safeguards.
The Veteran REBs’ Takeaway
Veteran real estate brokers possess deep experiential capital — the negotiation instincts, accumulated judgment, reputational integrity, and established networks that matter most to clients. Sinek’s counsel to “defend the struggle” means deliberately preserving these activities that sharpen interpersonal skills.
What are the strategic moves that the veteran REBs must make at this time? As a professional who has studied, consumed a lot of information, and lectured about AI and its effect on the real estate service sector for more than two years now, here are my humble suggestions:
1. Reposition from “transactional agent” to “trusted steward”. Offer explicit advisory packages for things the market cannot automate, like legacy transfers, legal due diligence on land titles, tax-efficient structuring of real estate holdings, and asset preservation workshops. These are services where decades of knowledge, experience, and judgment matter.
2. Productize judgment and expertise. Create billable advisory “blocks” (e.g., Effective Estate Transfer Roadmap, Identifying Fake Land Titles and Other Risk Assessment, Post-sale Conflict Management, etc.) with clear deliverables and fees so clients understand they are paying for human expertise, not just administrative work.
3. Delegate automation, but guard learning. Use AI to draft non-substantive documents, summarize market surveys, or triage leads — but require human review for any client-facing legal advice, negotiation strategies, or final documents. Institutionalize a human-in-the-loop (HITL) policy.
4. Adopt “human-first” client experience. Combine AI triage (automated listing matches, initial KYC) with mandatory human touchpoints for decision events: negotiation, contract signing, and referral to a real estate attorney.
The Real Estate Newbies’ Takeaway
New entrants must learn faster than ever, but not outsource their learning to AI. Sinek warns that when AI supplies perfected outputs, people can stop learning the processes that build competence.
Immerse yourself in the “grind” of doing the mundane and the basics. Learn everything about our profession and its best practices. Then, understand where to implement the following strategic moves in your daily or weekly workflow:
1. Use AI as training wheels — not a substitute. Employ AI for research and draft generation of market summaries and marketing copy. But always review, examine, and evaluate the output. Fact-check, if necessary. However, always: (a) pre-write your negotiation scripts by hand, (b) role-play negotiations with mentors, and (c) write debrief notes to retain learning.
2. Practice “muscle memory” through role-play. Real negotiation skill develops in messy, imperfect practice. Schedule daily/weekly role plays with mentors and record the entire exchange. Then upload it to your favorite AI platform and ask how you can do better at negotiating or generating leads.
3. Build a distinctive ‘Why’. A clear niche and purpose accelerate differentiation (e.g., “I help OFWs protect inherited properties from double sale and title fraud”). Purpose guides content, referrals, and how you price human advisory services.
4. Create Your Brand. As a newbie, the main question to answer is: why would a prospective client choose you over a veteran real estate broker? What sets you apart or makes you different from other licensed real estate brokers with years of experience? In other words, develop, create, or fashion your unique selling proposition. Then, make your vision and mission statement, and list the values you want to be known for. Use AI for this very important exercise/task.
Rules of Engagement with AI
At this point, we must create a framework that should be implemented when the RESP interacts with AI. These are the elements of the framework:
1. Human-in-the-loop (HITL): Any AI output that influences a client decision or legal document must be reviewed by the licensed professional.
2. Transparency & consent: Disclose to clients when AI was used in producing advice or documents. Moreover, it is highly important to obtain consent when processing personal data. NPC guidance and advisories make these obligations non-optional for personal data processing.
3. Contractual safeguards for data gathering: Legal commentary and law firm primers emphasize contractual safeguards for AI deployments to assure data privacy. The RESP must learn and understand warranties, data-use limitations, and audit rights in contracts (data residency, deletion rights, no training on client data without consent).
4. Measure what matters: Track Net Promoter Score (NPS), dispute frequency, and time-to-close and repeat referrals, and client retention for human touchpoints — not only volume of automated touches. Use these Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to justify the cost of preserving human interactions.
Ethical and Regulatory Considerations
The NPC’s AI guidance and related advisories apply where personal data is processed by AI (training, testing, deployment). That means licensed real estate brokers and salespersons must treat AI deployments under existing data-privacy rules: provide transparency, ensure data minimization, and permit human intervention in automated decision-making. Failure to do so exposes the RESP to regulatory and reputational risk.
The use of AI should also be implemented in conjunction with our compliance with PRBRES Resolution No. 39, Series of 2019 [The Code of Ethics and Responsibilities for Real Estate Service Practitioners], as well as other AI Governance Frameworks that will be issued in the coming years. The ethical use of AI in the real estate services sector is still a work in progress.
In conclusion, Simon Sinek’s message is neither Luddite panic nor techno-optimism. It’s a call to preserve the human processes that produce true professional judgment. In the Philippines, where family, legacy, personal trust, and integrity drive many real property decisions, the professional who can blend efficient AI tools with deliberate human stewardship will not only survive but thrive. Measure success in client outcomes and relationships — not in how many repetitive tasks you automated.
So, are you ready to fully embrace AI and integrate it into your practice? Tell us your fears and apprehensions about AI. Or share with us three concrete steps you will take in the next 90 days to grow your practice using AI.
Sources and Further Reading:
- Simon Sinek — You’re Being Lied To About AI’s Real Purpose (YouTube). YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2a_adkjqiA - National Privacy Commission — Advisory / Guidelines on AI systems and DPA application (NPC). National Privacy Commission
https://privacy.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Advisory-2024.12.19-Guidelines-on-Artificial-Intelligence-w-SGD.pdf - Quisumbing Torres — Deploying AI in the Philippines? 10 things you need to know (legal primer). Quisumbing Torres
https://www.quisumbingtorres.com/en/newsroom/2025/deploying-ai-in-the-philippines - Philstar — AI-powered buying, selling, renting property app launched (Nov 14, 2024). Philstar
https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/gadgets/2024/11/14/2399831/ai-powered-buying-selling-renting-property-app-launched - Inquirer Business — NoneAway officially launches AI Concierge (May 15, 2025). Inquirer Business
https://business.inquirer.net/525591/noneaway-officially-launches-ai-concierge-the-first-ai-powered-real-estate-app-in-the-philippines-for-buyers-owners-brokers-and-global-investors - Lamudi Philippines — Proptech & features commentary (Lamudi Journal). Lamudi Philippines
https://www.lamudi.com.ph/journal/nothing-fear-about-emerging-proptech/
Atty. Ernesto C. Perez II, CTEP, REB, [Realttorney]. Licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC with attribution. For permissions and consultancy, visit realttorney.com/contact.
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