When AI Is Everywhere, Happy Teams Become the Competitive Advantage
Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we work. But contrary to some predictions, it may not make the office obsolete. In fact, it could make human interaction, culture, and collaboration more valuable than ever.
In a recent conversation, Jean-Yves Huwart , founder of Coworking Europe, sat down with Pietro Martani , serial entrepreneur and founder of Stella33 , to discuss how AI, activity-based working, and workspace as a service are reshaping the future of offices.
The discussion was inspired in part by Limitless Workspace, the new editorial insert developed by Pietro Martani together with MIT Sloan Management Review Italia. The report explores how workplaces are evolving through new models, design, technology, and changing ways of working, offering a framework for understanding the profound transformation ahead.
Watch the full conversation!
From Empty Buildings to Workspace as a Service
Following the success of Copernico, one of Italy’s pioneering coworking operators, Pietro Martani has focused on helping institutional landlords reposition underperforming office assets.
Through Stella33, his team provides strategic consulting, flex workspace operations, hospitality services, branding, and lead generation to create value for office buildings facing vacancy or changing market conditions.
“Stella33 is the operating arm that designs and implements flex facilities and hospitality services for buildings,” explains Pietro. “We support landlords from strategy all the way to operations and value creation.”
The workspace is becoming a service, says Pietro.
“From compliance to design and employee experience, companies increasingly need specialists who can manage workplaces that attract people and help them work better.”
The Rise of Activity-Based Working
Hybrid work is no longer an experiment. It has become the norm. According to Pietro, the industry is now entering a second phase in which office design revolves around activities rather than assigned desks.
The traditional ratio of 80% desk space and 20% common areas is gradually giving way to a much more balanced approach.
“Activity-based working is moving toward fifty-fifty,” he explains. “Collaborative areas, amenities, flexible meeting spaces, and impromptu interactions are becoming increasingly important because everyone understands that people need to connect.”
As a result, offices are becoming places designed for teamwork, creativity, and social interaction rather than individual focused work.
AI Will Change How We Work — Not Why We Meet
Much of the public discussion around AI focuses on automation and job losses.
Pietro takes a more nuanced view:
“The changes between 2026 and 2030 will mainly be qualitative,” he says. “Companies will first need to understand and consolidate how to use AI.”
Over time, many tasks will inevitably become automated. Studies referenced in a recent report curated with MIT Sloan Management Review Italia suggest that between 25% and 40% of current tasks could be automated by the 2030s.
But this does not mean human work disappears.
“AI changes how we work rather than the amount of work being done,” Pietro explains.
As machines become better at repetitive and analytical tasks, human skills become increasingly valuable.
“It’s very clear that soft skills are becoming more important. Interaction will become more important.”
Culture Becomes the Competitive Advantage
If every company has access to similar AI tools, where will differentiation come from?
According to Pietro, the answer lies in culture.
“What is left is competition on the culture of the organization and trust within the organization,” he says.
In this new environment, offices will support exactly those elements.
“The layer where companies compete will be the people behind the company and the values they truly represent.”
Rather than disappearing, workplaces will evolve into learning environments and interaction platforms that generate additional value for organizations.
“The office will have to become a learning infrastructure and a container for interaction.”
And happiness itself may become a business asset.
“If you are happy, you are more productive, more efficient, and you create something more interesting for the company.”
Why Flex Operators Are Ahead of Everyone Else
Perhaps the most interesting insight from the conversation concerns the role of flex workspace operators themselves. Far from being disrupted by these changes, Pietro believes they are uniquely positioned to lead them.
“Operators in the flex industry are the forerunners of this change,” he says. “They are closer to organizations, closer to people, and closer to concepts like community and innovation.”
After all, many of the principles now spreading throughout the office market — workspace as a service, activity-based working, hospitality, and community — have been part of the flex industry for years.
“The activity-based working model is at the center of good flex design,” Pietro notes.
Final Thought
The office of the future may ultimately become more human, not less.
As AI takes over routine tasks, collaboration, learning, trust, and culture will become increasingly valuable. And the spaces that support these activities will matter more than ever.
Or, as Pietro Martani puts it:
“Machines will make us more human. That’s my positive take on things.”
And if that proves true, flexible workspace operators may find themselves at the very center of the next revolution in work.
