Coworking 3.0 – Redefining working for a digital world without work (Dean Connell)

In this 2025 Coworking Europe presentation, Dean Connell of I-AM.D.C examined how digital technology and artificial intelligence had changed the relationship between knowledge work and physical workplaces. The deck framed work as a moment in time rather than a fixed place, arguing that productive activity could occur across settings and throughout the day. It described software as having disrupted the conventional workplace and suggested that offices had become optional or discretionary for many knowledge workers. The presentation then considered a further shift driven by artificial intelligence, including the replacement or augmentation of employee roles and the possibility that some work would no longer depend on humans. It stated that 47% of employers had adopted AI technology to replace or augment roles, although the visible slides did not identify the figure’s source. Against this technological backdrop, the deck emphasized physical human experiences as a role for coworking. A later slide identified the creation of “IRL moments”—described as physical, present and real—as one of its insights, positioning shared in-person experiences as a counterpoint to increasingly digital and automated work.

Key findings

• The deck framed work as a moment in time rather than an activity tied to a physical place.
• The presentation stated that 47% of employers had adopted AI technology to replace or augment employee roles.
• The deck described physical workplaces as a luxury for knowledge workers rather than a necessity.
• The presentation identified physical, present and real shared experiences as a role for coworking.

Presented by Dean Connell, I-AM.D.C, at Coworking Europe 2025