Share
“How can we save 75% of our time and make more money?”
The answer is by learning how to use artificial intelligence for everyday business purposes, said Marki Lemons Ryhal, addressing a standing-room-only session called “The Future of Real Estate: How AI Is Transforming the Industry” at the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings in Washington, D.C.
Lemons Ryhal launched into the topic that she said she has been obsessed with for the past six months: how to apply artificial intelligence to your business. Using ChatGPT to write listing copy is just the beginning, she said. Every day, the technologies real estate agents use are integrating AI functionality.
With the design program Canva, for example, you can instantly translate your marketing materials into other languages. You also can use AI to quickly write blog posts, create imagery, build out work processes or put together a business plan. Lemons Ryhal has even used tools like Synthesia to create an avatar image and voice that can do the talking for her.
Even if it seems like everyone is jumping on the AI bandwagon, the technology is still in early stages, assured Lemons Ryhal, who also hosts REALTOR® Magazine’s monthly Drive with NAR podcast. ChatGPT was just introduced at the end of last November, she said, and it’s not too late to jump in and experiment. Using the applications is simple: Type in a prompt, such as “write an article on the benefits of staging a home,” and you’ll have the article before you know it. “The more specific the prompt, the better your results,” she said. “There’s even a new career, ‘prompt engineer,’ for people who have the ability to write instructions for AI,” Lemons Ryhal said.
But she offered several words of caution:
- First and foremost, remember your ethical duties. If you’re producing bilingual marketing materials and you aren’t bilingual, for example, make sure you have a good network of agents for referrals.
- Make the investment to use the paid versions of AI tools so that you have all the features available to you.
- Fact check and proofread everything you produce using AI. You’re responsible for the accuracy of your work, regardless of how it’s produced.
- Stay on top of developments in AI. Questions about copyright of AI-generated materials, for example, are still being decided. Lemons Ryhal suggested applying your creative touch to make AI-generated copy and images your own.
One thing is certain: AI use in business is not going away. “It took Facebook 10 months to get a million users. ChatGPT had a million users in five days. By January, there were 100 million users,” Lemons Ryhal said. If you’re not one of them, you need to be, she warned: “AI will not replace you. A person using AI will replace you.”
