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REAL AI: Most agents are using AI backwards, AI stats and facts, headlines, and AI quote of the week
By Kevin Hawkins with Korey Hawkins | March 23, 2026 – Vol. 4 Issue 12
REAL AI is the industry’s first and most popular weekly newsletter helping real estate professionals stay on top of the most important AI developments so they can save time, stay safe, and use technology that actually improves their business every day.
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Most agents are using AI backwards
Most agents think AI is a content tool. Write a post. Create a caption. Generate a listing description.
That’s how this whole thing started. It’s also where most agents are still stuck.
After spending seven days using AI the way an agent actually works, one thing became clear: we’ve completely misunderstood where AI’s real value is.
AI isn’t just powerful at the end of the process.
It’s most powerful at the beginning.
Agents are looking in the wrong place
Right now, most real estate agents bring AI in after the thinking is already done. The listing is priced. The strategy is set. The conversation has already happened.
AI becomes a polishing tool: a way to make something sound a little better, a little smarter, a little more “professional.” But that’s not leverage. That’s editing. It’s focusing on how something sounds instead of what really needs to be said.
The harder part of the job
The hardest part of this business isn’t writing. It’s navigating people.
It’s knowing what to say when a client is frustrated, emotional, confused, or pushing back in a way that doesn’t quite make sense on the surface. It’s reading between the lines and responding in a way that moves the conversation forward, not sideways.
That’s where deals are won or lost. It’s also where even experienced agents can get pulled in emotionally.
Amplified intelligence
What became clear during our 7-Day AI Challenge that MLSs are hosting for real estate agents is that AI is being misunderstood at a fundamental level.
This isn’t just artificial intelligence: It’s amplified intelligence.
Used the right way, AI doesn’t replace your thinking: it sharpens it. It helps you step back, see the situation more objectively, and think more clearly in moments where emotion can easily take over.
And that’s where AI becomes more valuable.
Its hidden superpower
One of the highest impact moments during this AI coursework has nothing to do with marketing or content. It’s about communication.
We took a real-world scenario – an email or text thread from a client who was clearly frustrated – and dropped it into ChatGPT Business, the best and safest version we recommend for agents. Then we asked ChatGPT to interpret what was really going on. Not just the words, but the tone, the underlying concerns, and the likely emotional state behind the message.
What came back surprised people. It identified patterns most agents feel but don’t always articulate: When a client is anxious versus defensive, when they’re confused versus resistant, and how those differences should change your response.
More importantly, it suggested ways to respond that were calm, clear, and not emotionally reactive. That’s what resonated most with the class. Because in those moments, you’re in it. You’re part of the conversation. It’s easy to respond too quickly, too defensively, or with the wrong tone.
AI makes you take a step back. Not to replace your judgment, but to remove just enough emotion to let your experience do its job.
The agents who win won’t be the loudest
The agents who figure this out won’t be the ones posting the most or generating the most content. They’ll be the ones who show up better in the moments that matter most.
More thoughtful. More measured. More in control of the conversation, even when the client isn’t. Because these agents are using AI to think more clearly when it counts.
Most agents are using AI at the end of the process. The opportunity is at the beginning. And once you see that, it’s hard to unsee it. (-Kevin)
AI Stat of the Week
AI Facts and Stats
1. 47% of agents surveyed said they use chatbots or AI Assistants as their main AI tool.
2. 42% of agents surveyed stated they use AI for real estate tasks several times a week.
3. 68% of agents surveyed said they primarily use AI for writing listing descriptions.
4. 63% of agents surveyed state that AI’s strongest value in their business is improving communication.
5. 57% of agents surveyed preferred the use of Hands-on workshops for AI training.
Source: RPR 2026 AI Adoption Survey (-Korey)
AI Headlines
Can You Spot AI Writing? Look for These 7 Dead Giveaways | 3/18/26 PC Mag
Learn the signs that may signal the text you are reading is AI-generated.
Realtors and Landlords Are Using AI to ‘Housefish’ Potential Buyers | 3/16/26 Yahoo!
AI is making homes in listings look better than they really are.
AI won’t replace real estate agents, but it will widen the gap between average and elite | 3/16/26 HousingWire
The use of AI is raising client expectations and delivering insights that consumers can’t replicate.
Florida man uses ChatGPT to sell his home. This is a real headline. | 3/16/26 Mashable
While AI now serves as a powerful guide in real estate for consumers, it’s important to not be too reliant on it.
3 in 5 Americans Fear AI Could Replace Jobs, Making it Harder to Afford Homes | 3/20/26 Redfin News
Redfin’s contracted study looks at consumer views on AI and jobs, housing.
Canva’s new AI tool will break your design process (in a good way) | 3/11/26 Fast Company
Magic Layers will let you turn AI-generated flat images into fully editable designs.
Bonus Headline:
Val Kilmer Resurrected by AI to Star in ‘As Deep as the Grave’ Movie – First Look | 3/18/26 Variety
Creepy or Cool?
AI Quote of the Week
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