As artificial intelligence reshapes industries across the country, one question keeps coming up in break rooms and boardrooms alike: Will AI replace jobs?
At Conshohocken’s Morgan Properties, the second-largest apartment owner in the country, the answer is no, writes Jonathan Lehrfeld for CoStar News. At least according to the executive hired to lead that charge.
A New Role Built for the AI Era
The company recently appointed Devang Patel as its new Head of Technology. The newly created role signals Morgan’s deepening investment in artificial intelligence, data analytics, and digital transformation.
But Patel isn’t interested in the version of AI that makes headlines by eliminating headcount.
“Every article you read is ‘AI is going to replace employees,’ and my candid view on that is, it’s not,” Patel told CoStar. Instead, he argues that AI should be viewed as a tool. Artificial intelligence will help employees work more effectively and deliver better service to residents.
Morgan Properties Artificial Intelligence Strategy: Augmentation, Not Automation
It’s a philosophy that puts Morgan in step with a growing wave of corporate thinking. Increasingly, executives are framing AI as “augmentation” rather than automation. The technology can absorb repetitive tasks while freeing employees for work that requires judgment, empathy, and human connection.
The company owns and manages more than 110,000 apartment homes across more than 400 communities in 22 states. For Morgan and companies like it, the stakes are significant.
Patel envisions AI delivering faster responses to resident questions, streamlining routine interactions, and making information more accessible to both prospective and current tenants.
The goal is a better experience at scale, not a leaner headcount.
Digital First, Human Always
What technology cannot replicate, Patel argues, is the personal relationships that define good property management. As he put it, “Digital first doesn’t mean human less.”
That balance between innovation and personal service may prove to be Morgan’s defining challenge as it continues expanding its national footprint from its Conshohocken headquarters.
The company has grown rapidly in recent years. How it deploys AI across hundreds of communities will be closely watched across the multifamily industry. If Patel’s vision holds, the future of apartment living will be shaped not by machines replacing people, but by people working better because of them.
Learn more about how Conshohocken’s Morgan Properties’ artificial intelligence strategy and the future of apartment management in CoStar News.
