By Kevin Hawkins with Korey Hawkins | Vol. 2 Post 36
REAL AI is a human-created weekly roundup of all things related to artificial intelligence in real estate and emerging AI innovations in other sectors likely to impact our industry. We post a new edition every Friday, and our free newsletter is delivered every Monday.
Zillow’s AI stumble
Real estate agents often get very excited when they first read about an AI breakthrough they believe can help them. They download the app or AI agent, but too often, the promised AI feature does not deliver, and elation turns to frustration.
Worse, agents discover that the AI feature they were promised is “coming” but not currently available. But they learn this after the fact: post-app installation, investing time and energy attempting to get AI to do its thing. Or they sign up to pay for a new AI service and are even more disappointed.
Bumming out consumers
Now imagine being a consumer reading that “Zillow has launched a new AI-powered feature that lets shoppers search for homes in the same way they would talk to their friends and family.”
Sounds like an exciting breakthrough, right? Open your Zillow mobile app, ask it to find a home with white kitchens in your neighborhood, and – boom – perfect home found, right?
Wrong. Once again, the promised AI elation quickly turns to frustration.
But wait, isn’t AI supposed to be a superpower technology?
Well, it can be, but only when it delivers on the promises it makes. In the case of the Zillow AI-powered natural-language search, it’s a broken promise.
Testing the new AI search
After a few searches, I had the same failed experience Drew Myers wrote about in GeekEstate’s recent GEM Crystal newsletter. And Drew is a Zillow alum!
I asked the app to find “Bainbridge Island properties with two stories,” and of the five search results, one was a vacant lot. Then I tried “White kitchen homes” for my market, and none of the three homes listed for sale had white kitchens.
The bottom line: You cannot talk to Zillow’s app and search like you talk to a family member and find the homes you want. Not even close.
The data needed is not in the MLS because agents don’t input the details for this kind of search, so at best, the search results will be incomplete – at least until computer vision helps fix this.
But as Dan Troup head of the Broker Public Portal commented in general (not about Zillow specifically) at the RISMedia CEO Exchange in DC this week, this kind of natural language search “is very, very hard. Incredibly hard.”
We are not surprised, due to the complexity, that even Zillow would fail at it initially.
Not ready for prime time
We have written about this massive weakness of AI announcements: it’s another case of releasing a product before it is ready.
And the hyperbole? Wow.
Zillow touts in its headline, “Zillow’s new AI-powered natural-language search is a first in real estate.”
The headline needs an asterisk. It may be the first among the major portals, but not the first portal.
Proof: Remember the Seattle-based Flyhomes news release headline in June? “Flyhomes Launches World’s First AI-Powered Home Search Portal.” Their news release says it “brings the first true conversational real estate search and research to the market.”
Sadly, many news reports will publish Zillow’s news release claims as fact.
Yet the AI noise these missteps create is serious and can be brand-damaging. Especially for a company that touts its ability to deliver exceptional consumer experiences, then does the opposite.
Didn’t we learn from Google’s Gemini that we must get AI right before launching? (-Kevin)
Meet your AI intern: ChatGPT for Teams
Speaking of Dan Troup, former Tech guru at RE/MAX and now head of the BPP and its rebirth, he introduced me to ChatGPT for Teams.
OpenAI dubs Teams the “always-improving superassistant for every member of your team.”
Dan and his developers use ChatGPT for Teams as if they were “interns.” Each person in Teams can create their own interns and make them subject experts. To make the intern smart, they upload important files – such as Word Docs, spreadsheets, and PDFs.
Let’s say one is called the “Governance intern” and has all the bylaws and rules of the BPP. Dan can ask it to tell him when a specific board member’s term expires, and the intern gives him the answer instantly.
Imagine doing this for clients: having a Local Marketing intern that answers questions about neighborhood trends or an HOA intern that can answer questions your client has about a condo complex rules or current reserves – without ever reading the documentation. Just feed it to the intern.
One caution Dan adds is that these bots need to be taught like human interns. They will make mistakes, but they will learn from their mistakes and keep getting better, but you have to push them.
Dan said his team relies on their ChatGPT-powered interns so much that he will chat with a fellow team member’s intern before he does the team member, as the bot often returns the answer he seeks.
Also, OpenAI says that if your intern needs the answer, it can check with other interns on the team to find the information you need. You usually get your answer immediately without waiting for someone else to respond.
A final bonus: none of the data within Teams is used for public AI training. (-Kevin)
AI Facts
- Less than half (48%) of all workers surveyed admit to using Google Gemini in the workplace – Tech.co
- 85% of surveyed workers state that AI helps them focus on their most important work – Microsoft
- More than a third (35%) of business leaders plan to hire AI-related talent in the near future – Spiceworks
- AI users can write 59% more business documents per hour than non-AI users – NN Group
- 24% of workers said they were strongly worried about AI’s effect on Data Privacy – OECD
Source: AIPRM (-Korey)
AI Headlines
Consumers empowered by Revive’s free AI renovation analysis | 9/3/24 Inman
A Zestimate-like AVM, but it’s an ARV – After Renovation Value estimate – or the value after presale renovations.
Why Artificial Integrity Is The New AI Frontier | 9/2/24 Forbes
It is time for AI to start prioritizing fairness and safety over efficiency and profitability.
Gemini is hitching a ride on Android Auto to your car | 9/3/24 Yahoo!
Google’s AI chatbot may soon be available for you while on the road.
Claude Artifacts get a big update — now you can highlight and edit code with text | 9/2/24 Tom’s Guide
Learn about the buzz created by Claude’s newest AI tool.
Bill Gates has a good feeling about AI | 9/25/24 The Verge
Microsoft’s co-founder and philanthropist talks about AI’s Optimistic Future. (-Korey)
Quote of the week
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