Artificial intelligence has moved from a subject of cautious debate to a standard business priority for most real estate brokerages. A new analysis from Delta Media Group found that the share of brokerages with no plans to adopt AI fell to 1.9 percent in 2026, down from 4 percent in 2025 and 10.6 percent in 2024. The figures suggest that the industry’s central question is no longer whether to use AI, but how to use it safely, consistently and in ways that preserve the human trust at the heart of a property transaction.
The last holdouts are disappearing
Delta Media’s three year analysis of its Real Estate AI and Leadership Survey shows a rapid decline in resistance among brokerage leaders. The proportion of firms reporting no AI use at all fell from 24.8 percent in 2024 to 11.9 percent in 2025 and 3.9 percent in 2026. At the same time, the share of firms with no intention of adopting AI during the coming year dropped to less than two percent.
[globenewswire](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/08/05/3339415/0/en/real-estate-s-ai-opt-out-is-nearly-extinct-new-delta-media-analysis-finds.html)
Those numbers mark a sharp change in attitude. In earlier discussions, brokerage executives often treated AI as an optional experiment that could wait until the tools became more reliable or easier to understand. Today, many leaders see the technology as part of the basic infrastructure needed to compete for clients, respond to inquiries and manage the steady stream of information required to list and sell property.
That shift does not mean every agent is using the same tools or receiving the same level of support. It means the refusal to consider AI has become unusual. The remaining debate is increasingly focused on training, data protection, quality control and the boundaries between useful automation and impersonal service.
What brokerages are using AI to do
Real estate professionals handle a wide range of repetitive tasks that can consume hours without directly improving the client experience. AI tools can help organize these tasks, allowing agents to spend more time on the conversations that require judgment, empathy and local knowledge.
- Drafting listing descriptions and marketing messages.
- Summarizing market reports and property documents.
- Responding to routine questions from prospective buyers and sellers.
- Sorting leads and identifying follow up priorities.
- Preparing social media posts, email updates and open house materials.
- Searching large collections of transaction information for relevant details.
For an agent beginning the day with a crowded inbox, three listing appointments and a buyer who needs help comparing neighborhoods, those small efficiencies can have a real effect. A draft produced in seconds can create more time for a phone call. A searchable document can reduce the chance that an important detail is missed. A prompt response can reassure a client who is waiting anxiously for an update.
Still, an AI generated draft is not a substitute for professional review. Property descriptions can contain incorrect measurements, unsupported claims or language that creates legal and ethical concerns. A brokerage that adopts AI responsibly must make sure a qualified person checks important information before it reaches a consumer.
Adoption is not the same as success
The 1.9 percent figure shows that brokerages are planning to use AI, but it does not show that every firm has achieved measurable results. Adoption can mean anything from allowing agents to use a writing assistant to building AI into a customer relationship system, lead response process or transaction management platform.
That distinction is crucial. A company may have access to several AI tools while agents use them inconsistently or without clear guidance. Another firm may use one narrowly designed system that saves substantial time and produces reliable results. Counting tools alone cannot reveal which approach is working best.
Earlier Delta findings reported that 97 percent of brokerage leaders said their agents were using AI in 2026, compared with 80 percent in 2024. The survey included more than 100 brokerage leaders whose firms represented a significant share of United States real estate transactions, according to Delta. Those results point to widespread use, but they should not be read as a claim that every agent has integrated AI into every part of the job.
[finance.yahoo](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/delta-media-ai-survey-shows-150000277.html)
The gap is now confidence
As resistance fades, confidence becomes the more important measure. Agents need to know when an AI response is dependable, when it requires verification and when the system should not be used at all. They also need a clear explanation of what happens to client information entered into a third party service.
Training should cover more than writing better prompts. A useful program should explain privacy, fair housing obligations, copyright, record keeping, bias and the risks of relying on information that may be incomplete or outdated. Agents should learn how to check an AI response against public records, broker guidance and primary documents before sharing it with a client.
Brokerage leaders can make that process more practical by publishing simple internal rules. Staff should know which tools are approved, what information may be entered, who reviews public facing material and how mistakes are reported. A short policy that people understand is more valuable than a lengthy document that sits unread in a company portal.
The human relationship remains central
Buying or selling a home is rarely just a financial calculation. It can involve family pressure, grief, relocation, debt, school decisions and the fear of making an irreversible mistake. Clients want accurate information, but they also want someone who listens when a carefully prepared plan begins to change.
AI can help an agent prepare for those conversations, but it cannot take responsibility for them in the same way a trusted professional can. An automated message may confirm that a document was received. It cannot fully replace the reassurance of a person who explains what the document means, answers a difficult question and stays present when the process becomes stressful.
The brokerages most likely to benefit from AI will be those that use it to protect time for human service rather than to remove human service from the process. Faster research and better organization can give agents more room to visit a property, walk a buyer through an inspection report or explain a complicated offer in plain language.
Smaller firms face a different challenge
The disappearance of large brokerage holdouts does not mean that adoption is equally easy for every company. A large firm may have technical staff, legal advisers and a budget for software testing. A small independent brokerage may depend on a few people who are already responsible for sales, compliance, recruiting and daily operations.
For smaller firms, a sensible approach may begin with one well defined problem. A brokerage could test AI for internal document summaries, listing drafts or appointment reminders before adding it to client communication. The firm can then compare time savings, error rates and staff feedback without committing to a broad system that no one has the capacity to manage.
Leaders should also ask whether a new product connects securely with existing systems. Buying several disconnected tools can create duplicate records, inconsistent information and additional subscription costs. The goal should be a clear workflow that staff can follow, not a collection of impressive demonstrations.
What comes next for real estate firms
The next phase of adoption will likely focus on measurement. Brokerages will want to know whether AI improves response times, reduces administrative work, increases appointment quality or helps agents serve clients more effectively. They will also need to monitor errors, complaints and signs that automated communication is weakening the relationship with consumers.
Industry leaders can follow broader research through the National Association of Realtors and review the latest company findings through Delta Media Group. These resources can help brokerage executives compare adoption claims with more specific information about technology use, agent behavior and consumer expectations.
Delta’s 1.9 percent result is best understood as a marker of consensus rather than a guarantee of readiness. Almost every brokerage now appears willing to consider AI, but the quality of that adoption will depend on the safeguards and judgment that surround the tools. The firms that move carefully may find that the greatest value of AI is not replacing the agent’s voice, but giving that voice more time to be heard.
