Everywhere you look, people are asking: Will AI replace agents? It’s a topic that’s sparked a lot of curiosity—and, let’s be honest, a fair bit of anxiety. At this year’s Zillow Unlock, I had the privilege of tackling this question head on with a session I led called “AI Won’t Take Your Job: Here Are 3 Ways to Use It.”
Here’s the reality (and what I shared with those in the room): real estate has always been, and will always be, a people business. Technology will evolve but nothing can replace the trust, empathy and guidance a skilled agent brings to the table.
That’s why great real estate agents will thrive. AI isn’t here to edge you out—it’s here to give you an edge. By taking repetitive tasks off your plate and freeing up your mental load, AI lets you focus on what really matters: winning clients, deepening relationships and guiding people through the biggest financial decisions of their lives. Below are some ways you can leverage AI to win.
Delegate to supercharge
Think of all the tasks that eat up your day but don’t actually require your expertise: summarizing 80-page disclosures, taking call notes or even planning your weekly grocery list.
AI is tailor-made for this kind of work. Tools like Follow Up Boss’s Call Summaries and Suggested Tasks can generate notes and next steps after client calls so you can lighten your mental load. For agents in particular, call notes and summaries are gold but manually typing or trying to remember everything gets in the way. This is the sort of task AI is perfect for.
Let me be clear, we don’t think you should delegate everything to AI. You will need to talk to prospects and clients to deliver that human touch. Those conversations are vital. It’s manually typing notes or trying to remember everything that gets in the way.
The takeaway: Delegate the notetaking to AI and use the time to focus your full attention to your client on the other end of the call.
Automate without losing the human touch
Automation isn’t new, but AI makes it smarter and more personal. One example is the virtual concierge that can complete tasks from your website while keeping your brand front and center. These have come a long way and there are tons of tools, plugins and integrations to set one up and respond to inquiries 24/7 and schedule showings.
The rise of AI-powered automation does not mean client touchpoints are a thing of the past. Even with a concierge, you can personalize the responses and set up workflows to ensure you can jump in at any point—what we call the “human in the loop.” Automation strengthens how and when we provide a more human touch in our business. You can still keep prospects warm without resorting to over-automation or canned templates. Follow Up Boss’s Smart Messages, dynamically suggests personalized replies based on client activity, saving you time while keeping the human connection intact.
The takeaway: Automation isn’t about cutting corners; it’s about leveling up the personal touch that only you can provide.
Take smarter action with better insights
AI doesn’t just save time, it helps you act at the right time. Imagine knowing a client is ready before they do, because AI spotted the signals: they’ve viewed the same home three times, favorited five properties in one afternoon or suddenly ramped up their searches. When you reach out, you now have the personal touch to layer in: “Hi! I’ve noticed you’ve been looking at every three-bedroom near Maple Park. One just hit the market that checks all your boxes, want to tour it soon?”
With Zillow’s suite of tools and insights available through Zillow Pro, launching in 2026, those insights are surfaced in real time so you know exactly who to call, when and what to say.
AI doesn’t just have to be an assistant—it also can be a coach. Have it read your emails and documents and ask it for ways to improve. Leverage call coaching software and ask it to analyze your most recent calls. Challenge yourself: Could you close faster or better? This real-time feedback and insights help you sharpen your edge.
The takeaway: Smarter action means fewer missed opportunities and more meaningful connections.
Bringing it home: Free up your time, unlock your advantage
One of my favorite lines from Franklin D. Roosevelt bears repeating: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” My family hears me quote it so often they’re tired of it, but it fits this moment. We don’t need to be afraid. We do need to be clear-eyed that our world is changing—and quickly—and meet that change with purpose rather than panic.
At the end of the day, AI isn’t about replacing agents, it’s about supercharging the way you work so you can reclaim your most valuable resource: Time. And the thing is, using AI doesn’t mean you’re not involved. Above, I mentioned the phrase “human in the loop,” which means that all the tasks you have AI do should be checked by you. AI is helpful but as we all know, it’s not perfect. You create real value, much of it in work that isn’t directly monetized. This is where technology, including AI, should help: Take the routine burden off your plate so you can focus on the work that drives revenue and delivers better customer experiences.
For more information, visit https://www.zillow.com/agents/.
