Key facts
- The average AI worry score among real estate brokerage leaders was 6.38 out of 10 in 2026.
- Concern about AI rebounded in 2026 after a dip in 2025.
- Agentic AI, which can automate tasks, emerged as a new concern in 2026.
- Female leaders expressed higher concerns regarding regulatory compliance and data privacy.
- Male leaders were more focused on the cost and return on investment of AI.
- Smaller firms prioritized regulatory compliance, while larger firms focused on integration and security.
The average artificial intelligence (AI) "worry score" among real estate brokerage leaders rebounded to 6.38 out of 10 in 2026, according to the Delta Media Real Estate AI & Leadership Survey. This marks an increase from 5.80 in 2025, though it is slightly lower than the 6.50 recorded in 2024. The percentage of leaders assigning AI risk a high worry score (8, 9, or 10) followed a similar trajectory, falling to 33.7% in 2025 before rising to 37.9% in 2026.
Michael Minard, CEO and owner of Delta Media Group, suggested that the rebound in AI concerns may be due to brokerages moving beyond simple AI tools towards agentic AI, which involves systems capable of taking action. The 2026 survey was the first to specifically address agentic AI, raising new questions about compliance, data security, liability, and accountability when AI systems operate autonomously.
Concerns about AI also varied based on the leader's gender and the size of the brokerage. Female leaders were more likely to identify regulatory compliance (71.4%) and data privacy and security (65.7%) as concerns, compared to male leaders (39.1% and 48.4%, respectively). Conversely, male leaders were more concerned about AI costs and return on investment (51.6%) than female leaders (28.6%).
For firms with 101 or more agents, the primary concerns were data privacy and security, integration with existing systems, cost and ROI uncertainty, and training. Smaller firms with 20 or fewer agents were predominantly focused on regulatory compliance (75%), with data privacy and security a concern for 43.8%. Minard advised brokerages to scrutinize AI vendors beyond features, focusing on security, privacy, compliance, integration, and governance.