Exclusive | AI millionaires are dropping mega bucks on San Francisco houses comically free from tech

They made their fortunes in artificial intelligence.But that doesn’t mean they want a mansion filled with smart gadgets.San Francisco’s newly minted AI millionaires are seeking warm woods, handmade furniture and wellness amenities, brokers and designers told The Post — with some even forgoing smart-home features in a stunning about-face.Their vision of a dream home puts natural materials, calm interiors and room to unplug high on the list.Think saunas, cold plunges, red-light therapy, private gyms and libraries.“Ten years ago, everybody wanted a wine cellar or a wine room,” Annie Williams, a veteran San Francisco broker with Sotheby’s International Realty, told The Post.

“Everybody’s asking for, ‘Where can I put my sauna?’”The frenzy is unfolding amid what Williams, who has worked in San Francisco real estate for 25 years, called the hottest market she has ever seen.“We took off in January and nobody seemed to see it coming,” she said.Williams said the phenomenon stretches beyond founders and employees at companies such as OpenAI.Surging technology stocks have created a much broader “wealth effect” among investors, longtime tech workers and families whose portfolios are heavily exposed to AI-related companies.Lisa Smith, a founding agent at Serhant in San Francisco, said she began feeling the surge particularly strongly around May.“Right now, I’m feeling a little bit like I’m in a tsunami,” Smith told The Post.

“The request of what they want right now is just outpacing what we can get them.”The problem is that San Francisco has only so many mansions to go around.Once they find one, the new generation of tech wealth is putting its own stamp on luxury.Smith said wellness features — particularly saunas, cold plunges and red-light therapy — have become increasingly common requests.Just before speaking to The Post, she had toured a home where red-light therapy had been installed directly on the wall of the primary bedroom.S...