10 things you should absolutely not let AI do for you

Since the NAR commission suit settlement, buyer agents have faced new rules, new documents and a new normal. This month, Inman drills down on Today’s Buyers Agent with the fresh marketing strategies, skills and tools buyer agents are using to prosper in changing times.

This post was updated June 11, 2025.

Artificial intelligence tools are everywhere right now. They’re fast, flashy and honestly kind of addictive once you get the hang of prompting. I use them too, and they’ve saved me hours on certain tasks. But there are still lines that shouldn’t be crossed, especially in an industry built on trust, nuance and reputation.

If you’ve ever felt the temptation to fully hand over your voice, your values or your relationships to AI, this is your reminder to pause. Here are 10 things you absolutely should not outsource to AI.

1. Don’t let AI write your apology

When a client feels let down, a teammate misreads your tone or a deal turns emotional, do not outsource your apology to an app. AI can mimic empathy, but it doesn’t feel anything. At best, you’ll sound generic. At worst, you’ll sound cold or performative.

Try this instead: Write what you genuinely feel. Be honest. Once you’ve gotten it out, add it to your AI of choice for help with tone or formatting. Authenticity always comes first.

2. Don’t let AI define your voice

Your voice is not a prompt. It’s how you show up on hard days, how you celebrate a win and how your clients describe you behind your back. AI can mirror a style, but it cannot capture the real-life moments that shaped who you are as a professional.

Try this instead: Give your AI examples of your past content or listing descriptions so it can reflect your existing tone. Do not expect it to invent one for you from scratch.

3. Don’t let AI make ethical decisions

Whether it’s disclosure language, how you present multiple offers or how you speak about competitors, AI does not carry the consequences of your choices. It doesn’t understand legal nuance or your code of ethics. And it definitely doesn’t know your market-specific obligations.

Try this instead: Use AI to help pressure-test your logic or present multiple ways to communicate something, but let your own integrity make the final call.

4. Don’t let AI handle your work conflicts

Tensions in real estate can be subtle or explosive. Maybe a co-broker threw you under the bus in front of a client. Maybe your team had a breakdown in communication and feelings got bruised. You can try prompting an AI to help you write a response, but it won’t understand the undercurrents, the politics or the trust that was broken.

Try this instead: Write it raw. Say everything you want to say without editing yourself. Once you’ve processed, add it to your AI tool to clean up tone or tighten the message. Your humanity is the part that matters.

5. Don’t let AI replace your expertise

AI can explain a financing term, but it has never negotiated an appraisal gap while standing in a driveway with panicked buyers. It can describe what a CMA is, but it doesn’t know what it’s like to deliver bad news to a client whose dream home is out of reach. That experience is yours. Own it.

Try this instead: Use AI to simplify, summarize or outline. Let it support your work, but never allow it to speak for your expertise.

6. Don’t let AI decide what’s ‘good enough’

Just because a listing description or market update reads well doesn’t mean it reflects your standards. AI aims for plausible, not personal. If you’re tempted to click copy and paste without checking how it aligns with your brand, your results may feel hollow.

Try this instead: Use AI to generate drafts. But always review with fresh eyes and a strong sense of what feels right for you, your clients and your brand voice.

7. Don’t let AI write anything you won’t fact-check

I’ve seen AI tools confidently generate fake stats, outdated guidelines and completely made-up program details. That becomes your liability the moment you hit “publish.” In a business where trust is your currency, misinformation is a price you can’t afford to pay.

Try this instead: Let AI help organize your content or summarize key points. Always double-check the numbers, names and regulations with real sources.

8. Don’t let AI talk about what you don’t actually understand

If you’ve never closed a short sale or executed a 1031 exchange, don’t let AI create content that implies you have. Your audience can feel the disconnect. It’s not a good look to present borrowed knowledge as personal expertise.

Try this instead: Share what you know deeply or partner with a trusted expert, conduct an interview, and let your AI tool help you structure the final output. That’s how you add value without losing credibility.

9. Don’t let AI fill the silence just to ‘stay consistent’

There’s pressure in this industry to post constantly. But if you’re showing up online with hollow content just to stay visible, your message starts to blur. AI can churn out content daily, but more doesn’t always mean better.

Try this instead: Let yourself be intentional. Share when you have something worth saying. AI can help you organize your thoughts once you have clarity, not before.

10. Don’t let AI tell you who you are

No app can define your value proposition, your purpose or your story. AI can echo back what you feed it, but it cannot discover who you are. That part comes from reflection, experience and the quiet confidence that builds when you’ve done the hard things well.

Try this instead: Explore your thoughts first. Reflect, journal, ask trusted colleagues what they notice about your impact. Once you have that clarity, AI can help you shape the message. The identity part? That’s yours to own.