It’s been just over a month now since Google blew everyone’s minds when it revealed its new Duplex technology, which uses artificial intelligence to allow a computer to carry out impressively authentic conversations with people over the phone.
If you haven’t yet heard about the Google Duplex system, the real-world sound bites that were played at last month’s Google IO are staggering, and well worth a listen.
And the applications in the real estate industry could be many and varied.
Indeed, if any industry was seemingly purpose-built for the kind of service that Google Duplex and other AI technology will one day provide, real estate is almost certainly it.
While the human element and the ability to connect with buyers on a personal level is what sets many of the best agents apart, could Duplex one day clear agents’ desks of all of small yet important administrative tasks that eat up hours of the working week?
Could you confirm appointments with potential buyers or tenants, or schedule changes to meetings or inspections, all without needing to pick up the phone yourself?
Will emails or online enquiries about a property from prospective buyers or tenants be able to be answered with a phone call not from you, but from an online assistant that sounds just like you and can respond to any follow-up questions that a buyer might have.
Perhaps the technology will be able to be linked directly with your calendar or diary, and will automatically populate it with the meetings your virtual assistant creates, as well as making the requisite phone calls to book rooms or venues for those meetings, and sending invites to attendees.
At REA Group and in realcommercial.com.au, we can foresee a future where technology like Google Duplex is a key tool in helping agents boost their offering to customers, as well as increasing their efficiency exponentially.
Time will tell how significantly artificial intelligence shapes the way the property industry does business, but if this is only the start then the possibilities could be limitless.