Check out our new The REAL AI Podcast for this week – Episode 13 2/9/26 – AI generated with hosts Miles and Grace
REAL AI: The ABC Rule for AI, AI stats and facts, headlines, and AI quote of the week
By Kevin Hawkins with Korey Hawkins | Feb. 9, 2026 – Vol. 4 Issue 6
REAL AI is the industry’s first and most popular weekly newsletter that helps real estate pros keep up with the most relevant developments in AI to save time, stay informed, and use technology that actually helps their business today.
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The ABC rule for AI
If you are using AI in your real estate business, there is one rule that may matter more today than any master prompt, shortcut, or feature update.
ABC. Always. Be. Comparing.
Not because you are using the wrong tool. But because AI is advancing so ridiculously fast, what was true a few weeks ago may already be outdated.
The AI advantages between one chatbot and another can barely last a month.
Why comfort can quietly cost you
Most people use the AI tool that sits closest to their daily workflow. If you live in Google, you lean toward Gemini. If you are deep in Microsoft, you lean toward Copilot.
But if you are an agent or broker, based on every survey we have seen, you use the best AI Swiss-Army knife: ChatGPT.
That comfort is understandable. Unfortunately, it’s also may make you myopic.
When you assume one tool is simply “better” at a task, you stop checking. And when you stop checking, you miss when an advantage shifts.
A real-world test that flipped the script
One evening last week, during Inman Connect NY, I took a selfie in front of a large LED screen outside a Broadway theatre’s stage door with the play’s lead, Cynthia Nixon. The lighting created a red glow around our hair. Not good.
I used my go-to AI editing tool, Google’s Gemini, powered by its Nano Banana tech, asking it to remove the red glow. But it failed. Repeatedly.
Applying my ABC rule, I took the exact same prompt and image and ran it through ChatGPT.
It fixed the problem immediately. Shock and awe. Two weeks ago, it couldn’t do that.
The backup problem most people ignore
Many agents and brokers use ChatGPT Business or Plus every single day. It’s remarkably versatile, but you are putting your eggs all in one basket.
We get so comfortable with our AI tools that we forget how reliant we’ve become on them.
But what happens if an AI tool you use every day disappears?
What happens if a feature you depend on goes away overnight?
What happens if ChatGPT is down for three days???
How would that impact your business?
This is where always be comparing becomes a risk management strategy.
I ran into this recently with Artlist. Their voice cloning tool removed a feature that controlled tone in cloned voices. That feature was critical for our use. It’s why we chose Artlist. Overnight, they made a UI/UX change, and it was not only harder to navigate; our go-to feature was gone.
Fortunately, we also have Eleven Labs. That backup existed because we never stopped comparing. We never allowed ourselves to be dependent on a single platform.
Most would think paying for two subscriptions for an AI tool that does the same thing is a waste. We treat it as an insurance policy. We were right.
What ABC actually means for agents and brokers
Always be comparing does not mean constantly switching tools or chasing every new update. It means building the habit of comparing.
Run the same task through two similar tools every couple of weeks. Check image edits. Check writing capabilities. Check how well a tool follows instructions. Check how well it remembers what you’ve been teaching. Ask your Chatbot about any recent updates and new superpowers.
This behavior is what I call always be checking. Comparing is the mindset. Checking is the action.
The takeaway
AI keeps getting better knowing us, how we work, and how we write. It becomes irreplaceable.
Gen AI has never been and likely never will be cheaper. Paying $20 or $50 a month for tools like ChatGPT is pennies compared to the thousands of dollars in value it delivers. The real cost shows up only when the tool you relied on is suddenly not there. (-Kevin)
AI Facts and Stats
1. 97% of brokerages surveyed say their agents are already using AI today.
2. Brokerage not using AI fell from 22% to just 4% in two years, an 82% decline.
3. 55% of brokerage leaders surveyed cite data privacy and security risks as a top concern when integrating AI into their brokerage’s operations.
4. No. 1 use of AI in a real estate brokerage today is for content creation.
5. 2% of brokerage leaders say they do not plan to adopt AI in 2026.
Source: 2026 Delta Real Estate AI & Leadership Survey (-Korey)
AI Headlines
Shadow AI is one of real estate’s biggest hidden risks | 1/26/26 WAV Group
Brokerages, MLSs, and Associations don’t know the AI tools agents/members – and their staff – are using for business.
NEW Research: AIs are highly inconsistent when recommending brands or products; marketers should take care when tracking AI visibility | 1/27/26 SparkToro
While there are countless studies on AI tracking, there is a lack of consistency in results.
The Unsettling Rise of AI Real-Estate Slop | 2/4/26 The Atlantic
The downside of AI listing descriptions and virtual staging photos is that they set the wrong buyer expectations when they physically visit a property.
Companies replaced entry-level workers with AI. Now they are paying the price | 2/4/26 Fast Company
While AI provides the code needed, it can’t fill in the cracks for jobs that the human element can do better.
New AI Assistant OpenClaw Acts Like Your Digital Servant, but Experts Warn of Security Risks | 2/3/26 CNET
The real dangers of using an open-source AI Agent without the right guardrails.
Lofty, Breezy unveil AI operating systems, and more from NAVICA, Restb.ai, and Loft 47 | 2/3/26 Real Estate News
A week filled with new AI releases for real estate.
AI Quote of the Week
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