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REAL AI: The year AI overpromised, Top 5 AI topics in 2025, Top AI stats and facts, Top headlines, and 2025 AI quote of the year
By Kevin Hawkins with Korey Hawkins | Vol. 3 Issue 52
REAL AI is the industry’s first and most popular weekly newsletter that helps real estate pros keep up with the most relevant developments in AI to save time, stay informed, and use technology that actually helps their business today. For your 2026 planning: The REAL AI Guide for Real Estate Agents on Amazon or NAR Bookstore at a 25% holiday discount for members.
The year AI overpromised
At the start of 2025, we called it boldly and publicly: it would be the “Year of Agentic AI.” Software that could act on your behalf. Tools that didn’t just answer questions but actually did the work.
That didn’t happen. At least not as promised – yet.
Agentic AI didn’t fail, but it did stall. And one company made that reality impossible to ignore. Apple, the most disciplined product company in tech, didn’t deliver most of what it promised with Apple Intelligence. Instead, it waved the white towel and began working with third-party firms like Google and OpenAI to help power the agentic features it couldn’t ship on its own.
That moment mattered.
The industry learned three things in real time. First, agentic AI is really, really hard to build. Second, it is extraordinarily expensive to scale. Third, AI perfection is still out of reach. And when the most valuable company in the world pauses, everyone else pays attention.
Agentic AI is still coming. But 2025 reminded us that AI improves through compounding gains, not steady steps. Small breakthroughs stack quickly, creating sudden leaps in capability. Even so, that progress is not linear, not cheap, and not guaranteed. (-Kevin)
The Top 5 REAL AI topics in 2025
Here’s what mattered most to REAL AI readers in 2025, our top topics for the year:
- The scariest AI is free
Free AI tools lowered the barrier to entry but also exposed agents to hidden risks around data privacy, client confidentiality, and unintended consequences. - Turn AI into your daily habit
The biggest adoption gains came from using AI in small, repeatable ways rather than chasing the latest tool or feature. - AI makes you swear
Unexpected AI behavior reminded agents that even simple tasks can go sideways without oversight and clear guardrails. - How not to fear AI
Confidence replaced anxiety once agents understood where AI helps, where it does not, and how to stay in control. - State of AI in real estate marketing
Beyond the hype, AI quietly reshaped marketing workflows, content creation, and efficiency for agents who used it intentionally.
Honorable mention: Fun and easy ChatGPT hacks
A practical, low-pressure entry point that delivered immediate wins and reminded agents that AI doesn’t have to be complicated to be useful. (-Kevin)
Top 5 REAL AI Facts & Stats of 2025
1. 32% of real estate agents have not used AI in the last 12 months.
2. Over 99% of Fortune 500 companies have adopted AI into their operations.
3. 50% of Americans feel more concern than excitement about AI in daily life.
4. Workers with AI skills earn 56% more than those without.
5. 51% of companies experienced at least one negative consequence from using AI.
Sources: NAR, DemandSage, PwC, Forbes, and McKinsey (-Korey)
Top 10 REAL AI Headlines of 2025
Google’s home listings “experiment” raises industry eyebrows | 12/16/25 The Real Deal
HouseCanary and Google are in hot water for displaying home listings in Google Search results.
Real Estate Is Entering Its AI Slop Era | 10/26/25 WIRED
Real estate agents are increasingly using AI-generated images instead of actual photos.
Consumers are changing. In 2025, proptech may finally start to notice | 1/2/25 Inman
This could be the year where AI is geared towards improving the consumer experience.
AI expert: Agents must harness AI or be replaced by those who do | 10/30/25 Inman
It’s not AI replacing you that you have to worry about, but agents using AI to replace you.
Most real estate employers expect artificial intelligence to transform their businesses | 1/10/25 CoStar
AI is slowly replacing jobs involving repetitive tasks.
Your ChatGPT conversations may be visible in Google Search | 7/31/25 Search Engine Land
Google is indexing ChatGPT shared links, but making your sensitive info public and putting you at risk.
NAR says REALTORS® do 179 different tasks – AI says it can do 110 of them | 8/7/25 WAV Group
According to ChatGPT, 110 of 179 Realtor tasks – over 60% – can now be done by AI.
AI labeling laws are here: What real estate companies need to know and do | 5/6/25 WAV Group
New disclosure laws are coming that will impact AI-generated content and AI training data.
OpenAI Realizes It Made a Terrible Mistake | 9/14/25 Futurism
OpenAI admits to ChatGPT’s issues with AI hallucinations.
36 of the best AI courses you can take online for free | 1/9/25 Mashable
Udemy is providing dozens of courses for learning about how to get the most out of AI in 2025.
Our personal favorite:
‘The REAL AI Guide for Real Estate Agents’ Hits No. 3 on the Amazon Best-Seller List | 11/3/25 RISMedia
Check out our guide with ChatGPT hacks and prompts you can use every day. (-Korey)
Quote of the year
Runner-up:
“If you’re not at the table in the discussions about AI security, you’re on the menu.”
— Neal O’Farrell, Human Security Champion, Think Security First
Honorable mentions:
“I’m also polite to AI because I want to have a good location in the battery farm when they take over.”
— Chris Haran, Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer, MRED (Midwest Real Estate Data)
“In a future where robots take over, remember I said ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’”
— Dan Troup, Chief Executive Officer, Broker Public Portal
“AI is a firehose.”
— Rajeev Sajja, SVP, Digital Marketing and Innovation, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices & Fox & Roach Realtors
“Even consumers who don’t use AI are still going to demand that their agents are using AI.”
— Carrie Soave, Team Leader, AI Consultant and Coach, eXp Realty
“My buddy bought an AI putter. I asked him, ‘Does it putt for you?’ AI is being slapped on everything.”
— Kevin Greene, SVP and General Manager, Real Estate Solutions, Cotality (-Kevin)
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