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Agents who take a more considered approach, rather than diving into AI use, can make the transition more seamless by understanding the technology's impacts.
Senior director of ecosystem strategy, data and innovation at MRI Software, Sarah Bell, sat down with editor Liam Garman for an episode of the REB Podcast to discuss the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in property and how agencies can make the most of the technology.
Bell, who completed a thesis regarding proptech for her doctorate, said the use of AI in real estate was starting to “feel a bit sci-fi”.
“It’s gone from this fringe thing used by universities and theoretical mathematicians into, ‘oh, I’ve got it on my keyboard on my phone,” Bell said
She said that AI has crept into our lives to the point that users aren’t aware of the far-reaching roles it plays.
“It’s technology that impacts us and is making decisions about us in ways that we probably don’t even think about or recognise.”
“Turning it off would be like turning off electricity.”
According to Bell, agents should learn to embrace the tool and find the way to use it that works best for their needs.
The limitations of AI
Bell said that agents need to be aware of the concept of “user enfeeblement,” or the loss of skills, as professionals increasingly rely on AI technology.
She said that an over-reliance on AI could lead to a loss of developed skills, with the technology potentially eroding some of the sharp edge agents possess.
As agents increase their use of AI in their daily jobs, Bell said that over time, they might lose their ability to engage in critical thinking.
“We lose that skill if we abdicate and defer too much on generative AI.”
Additionally, she warned that agents could also lose their creativity, as generative AI can only recall data rather than generate new ideas.
To balance the use of AI and skills building, Bell said that agents should use the technology “like salt in cooking”.
“Use AI at the beginning and use it at the end, but you have to do the middle bit,” she said.
She added that agents using AI to write generic copy and create content should understand how the content is being consumed and received by other AI systems, such as Google’s experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (EEAT) guidelines.
“It is important to understand that what I produce is being perceived and processed by other Artificial Intelligence.”
Google’s EEAT assesses the experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness of a source of information to determine whether it will be helpful and reliable when presented as a search result.
Bell said that agencies that weren’t meeting the criteria were hurting their searchability.
“If your output doesn’t have clues for the Google EEAT algorithm, then you are potentially damaging your search returns.”
What the future holds
Additionally, to be successful in integrating AI into their systems, Bell said agencies should consider their reasons for using AI tools rather than just following the trend.
“I hope we become more strategic and more critical of our implementation of AI,” she said.
“Implementing it for implementation's sake or because it's a shiny tool is creating limitations in terms of the opportunity.”
Additionally, Bell said agents should develop their critical thinking skills as they implement AI into their workflows.
“People are not looking for the dots; they want somebody to make meaning of it and to bring sense to it.”
“That's a human skill, that's an interpretive skill.”
To ensure a smooth transition when adopting AI technology, Bell encouraged agencies to build a foundational data set.
“I think the ones that will do this successfully understand that they have to have a profound data foundation to realise the benefits of AI,” Bell said.
“The data doesn’t need to be perfect; it just has to be connected.”
Bell said that agents should ensure their data is capitalised on the new technology.
“You can talk about agentic AI and build as many agents as you like, but if you haven't solved things in the data layer, then it's kind of a snake oil,” Bell concluded.
You can listen to the whole episode here
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mathew Williams
Born in the rural town of Griffith NSW, Mathew Williams is a graduate journalist who has always had a passion for storytelling. Having graduated from the University of Canberra with a Bachelor of Sports Media in 2023, Mathew recently made the move to Sydney from Canberra to pursue a career in journalism and has joined the Momentum Media team, writing for their real estate brands. Outside of journalism, Mathew is an avid fan of all things sports and regularly attends sporting events across Sydney. Get in touch at
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