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While AI may be a big winner in improving efficiency, property professionals have been warned against relying too heavily on tools for data-driven tasks, according to industry leaders.
The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools has accelerated in recent years, but two industry experts have warned that unmitigated use could harm the industries they are meant to help.
Managing director of Lawlab Conveyancing, Ian Perkins, said that while the technology’s initial focus was on workflow efficiency, it has now shifted toward enhancing customer service.
“It’s not all efficiency-based; it’s actually a major benefit to the customer experience,“ Perkins said at the 2025 PIPA conference.
Perkins said that by using AI tools to handle menial tasks, property professionals would have more time to provide a more individually tailored service to clients.
Additionally, he said AI makes advice easier to access, allowing users to ask questions to chatbots they might otherwise hesitate to raise with professionals before seeking expert clarification.
According to the general manager of Hotspotting, Tim Graham, the biggest change in AI offers has been the increased speed and efficiency in completing everyday tasks.
“We used to be driving in the fog with a torch, and now we’ve got high beams and a GPS. The destination hasn’t necessarily changed, but the way we get there is a lot easier.” Graham said.
He said that what once took a researcher with a PhD around 9 weeks of analysis was now being done in a much shorter time frame with the help of AI.
“Through the help of AI, now we can produce the grunt work in about two hours,” Graham said.
The limitations of AI
While AI can save time, Graham said that property professionals should constantly question the answers provided, as it is impossible to access all the sources cited in the response.
He said that while AI had done most of the work for Hotspotting's most recent Price Predictor Index report, the report's findings had always to be double-checked and adjusted because the tool misrepresented the data.
Graham said the inaccuracies in the AI-generated data prevented users from developing the same level of trust in a report as they would in one produced by a legitimate researcher.
“I think the human element and the trust are always going to be there,” Graham said.
“You can use all this great technology to create efficiencies, but it will never take away the human element.”
As of now, Graham said AI cannot yet be relied on for entirely accurate information, making it essential to always double-check the facts it provides.
Beyond being prone to errors, Perkins added that AI would struggle legally to build the trust that a human can, especially when offering insurance and security to both parties in a deal.
“I think that's very much a person-focused task, because you have to build a relationship and build trust to guide that person,” Perkins said.
Perkins said that it was becoming increasingly common for lawyers to use AI to “tidy up” the data and ensure that it is easy to understand for clients
“Our job as lawyers is to communicate and clean up the data, and make sure that what their intentions are is matched by what they are purchasing,” Perkins said.
Graham said the industry has been placing too much trust in the technology, both in the answers it provides and in the data it supplies.
Graham said that if agents are giving AI information about how the business operates or insights into briefs while having it perform other tasks, they may be “whispering trade secrets in a crowded room”.
“I think the blind faith is a big issue,” Graham said.
“We have got to be careful about the way that we use open source AI.”
Graham said that industry professionals have seen an increase in customers using AI and that trusting the answers provided wholeheartedly, without checking for accuracy.
To ensure critical thinking and essential skills continue to grow, Perkins said juniors and graduates should use AI for routine tasks while proactively pursuing career development.
Despite all of the data at its disposal, Graham said AI can never replace the human element of a property transaction.
“Nothing beats walking through a property, nothing beats getting a pest inspection done by a human.”
“These types of things I don’t think will ever be replaced by AI, and neither should they,” Graham concluded.
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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