#012 When Every Agent Has Superpowers, People Skills Still Win with Biju Ashokan, Founder & CEO, Radius

If every real estate agent gets AI superpowers, what still sets the best apart? For Biju Ashokan (Founder & CEO, Radius), the answer is clear: proactive AI to remove the grunt work, and human judgment to win the moment that matters. In this episode of Human Work After AI, Biju breaks down MEL, Radius’s AI assistant that builds live client personas, schedules showings, drafts offers, and acts proactively, not just reactively like most chat tools. He argues the enduring edge is interpersonal skill, negotiation, and local context, even as AI levels the playing field.What we cover (highlights):- Why Radius calls itself a software company with a brokerage license and how the model works (subscriptions + per-transaction)- How MEL gets proactive and creates a living client profile from calls, texts, email, and search behavior- Why human skills become more important when AI gives everyone similar tools (negotiation, network, local knowledge)- The future: fewer agents, more professional teams, higher throughput per agent, and likely commission compression over time- Data privacy, team-scoped AI instances, and keeping human-in-the-loop for liability and quality controlBiju’s ultimate takeaway about AI: the same thing that excites him about AI also scares him - the unknowns of the next 10 years of work.Chapters00:00 – Highlight: “Interpersonal skills will stand out when AI levels the field.”02:49 – Software company with a brokerage license03:15 – Vision, then AI’s 360° rethink of real estate software04:29 – Research first: six months inside agent offices; hiring lessons08:17 – Agents want independence; Radius builds the infra to enable it10:27 – Where AI fits: repetitive workflows → MEL assistant12:03 – From reactive to proactive: MEL books showings, sends CMAs13:55 – What stays human: negotiation, network, local context15:44 – GTM update: 100+ brokerages, 1,000+ agents, new states opening16:30 – Teams growing despite a down market; time-back → growth19:20 – One platform vs. tool soup; MEL keeps data in sync21:45 – Fewer agents, more productivity; likely commission compression26:51 – Human-in-the-loop, feedback loops, liability guardrails29:49 – Final remarks: optimism and uncertainty about jobs aheadResourcesLearn more about Radius — https://radiusagent.comGrow your revenue with host Chris Fanchi's Big North Marketing — https://bignorthmarketing.comConversations like this feed the new book "Managing AI: Humans, Agents, and the Future of Work" by Chris Fanchi — releasing November 18. Visit bignorthmarketing.com/managing-ai to learn more and pre-order today!