Ai Use Moves From ‘curiosity’ To ‘capability’ For Real Estate Industry

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now used by nearly all real estate agents, according to the 2026 Delta Real Estate AI & Leadership Survey — signaling a shift from experimentation to widespread operational use across brokerages.

The survey found that 97% of brokerage leaders say their agents use AI, up from 80% in 2024.

Brokerage non-adoption dropped to 4%, down from 22% two years earlier. Responses came from more than 100 brokerage leaders representing firms responsible for more than two-thirds of U.S. real estate transactions in the prior year.

“Over the past three years, we’ve watched AI move from curiosity to capability to becoming embedded in the average agent’s daily workflow,” said Michael Minard, CEO and owner of Delta Media Group. “AI use among brokerages has become virtually ubiquitous. In 2026, the question is how brokerages ensure AI is being used accurately, responsibly and in ways that deliver real value to both agents and consumers.”

Why does this matter?

This data confirms what many agents and brokers already feel in their day-to-day work: AI is no longer a shiny add-on, it’s core infrastructure. When a large number of agents are using AI — and leadership rates its importance as only climbing — competitive advantage shifts from whether you use AI to how well you use it.

Brokerages that lack guardrails, training or integrated systems risk inconsistent messaging, compliance missteps and uneven consumer experiences. At the same time, firms that get this right can move faster, market smarter and operate more efficiently at scale. Like the brokerage technology platform race several years ago, AI is quickly moving from a differentiator to table stakes.

Usage expands across marketing and operations

The survey found AI is most commonly used for marketing and content tasks.

Roughly 82% of agents use AI to write listing descriptions, up from 58% in 2024. Seventy-four percent use AI for blogs, social media posts and email campaigns — and 49% use AI for social media planning and management.

Among brokerage leaders, 26% cited content creation as the most important AI use case, followed by listing descriptions at 15% and marketing tools at 7%.

Leaders rated AI’s current importance at 7 out of 10, up from 5 in 2024, and projected its future importance at 8.

Concerns persist over governance, compliance

Despite broad adoption, brokerage leaders reported ongoing concerns about AI oversight.

Nearly half said they are highly concerned about AI guardrails, with privacy, system integration and regulatory compliance cited as key barriers.

Smaller brokerages reported higher concern levels — citing limited access to compliance tools, integration resources and staff training.

Leaders at larger firms said scale and infrastructure provide more safeguards.

Only 2% of brokerage leaders said they do not plan to adopt AI in 2026, down from 7% a year earlier.

Shift toward integrated platforms

Survey responses indicated growing consolidation around all-in-one platforms that combine AI, automation and CRM capabilities — rather than standalone tools.

Leaders reported plans to expand AI-driven marketing automation, workflow automation and agentic AI tools that can execute multi-step tasks.

“AI is now embedded in nearly every area of the brokerage business,” Minard said. “That brings new opportunities for brokerages to boost performance and efficiency. But AI also creates significant new responsibilities for broker-owners.”

He added that technology partners with industry experience will play a key role in scaling AI while managing risk.

“The annual Delta survey highlights the fact that AI is reshaping real estate faster than any technology we’ve ever seen,” said Minard. “How brokerages operate, how agents deliver value, and how the entire real estate experience is managed will be changed forever by AI.”

How agents and brokers can use this information

Agents and brokers can treat these findings as a roadmap, not just a benchmark. For agents, this is a cue to intentionally build AI into daily workflows for sharper listing descriptions, more consistent content and smarter social planning. All while staying accountable for accuracy and tone.

For brokers, the opportunity is bigger: invest in integrated platforms, establish clear AI usage standards and provide training that turns automation into real productivity gains. Smaller firms, especially, can use AI to punch above their weight if they pair the tools with smart oversight. The takeaway is simple: AI works best when it’s strategic, supervised and aligned with how you actually do business — not just switched on and left alone.