Artificial intelligence has quickly become the backbone of many real estate technologies, powering CRMs, marketing tools, operational software and more. But can AI eventually help consumers buy and sell homes with no human support? 

While some companies are pursuing a fully AI-powered transaction, others — like WithJoy.AI — are taking a “best of both worlds” approach. The recently launched brokerage, which is piloting its offering in Washington state, aims to offload much of a human buyer agent’s work to an AI agent — “Joy” — but also provides real people to help buyers get to the finish line.

AI for the nuts and bolts, humans for hand-holding

A 2024 report from T3 Sixty found that a staggering 80% of an agent’s tasks can be handled by AI, leaving agents to focus on the “fine tuning” — and, says WithJoy Co-founder and CEO Dave Clark, the “scary” stuff.

WithJoy currently specializes in the buy-side of the transaction, leveraging tech where possible to assist both consumers and agents after deciding a fully automated approach wasn’t viable.  

“Our initial vision when we started working on this over a year ago was that we’re going to create a purely AI real estate agent,” said Clark. 

“We very quickly realized that, regulatorily speaking, you actually can’t do that. So, instead, we got kind of the best of both worlds. You still have the human presence to do the part of the job that tech really won’t be able to, like being someone who’s going to hold your hand and walk you through the scary aspects that people are going to be less likely to just trust a purely digital interface.”

The company helps buyers zero in on a home using natural language search, and when a buyer is ready to move forward, WithJoy can help draft an “AI-backed offer” that is approved by an agent before it goes in front of a client.

A substitute for an agent’s local market expertise? 

In WithJoy’s model, there’s a local agent available for buyers who have questions — but that may not always be the case as this type of technology expands.

“My biggest concern is actually for the clients, many of whom will be tempted to forgo contracting with a local, more expensive agent who provides a higher level of service than an AI, or a remote agent-plus-AI team,” said Sebastian Frey, broker associate at Compass Silicon Valley in Los Gatos, California.  

“I always consider one of my primary jobs as a buyer’s agent to help a buyer avoid making a horrible mistake, and I can see a lot of buyers not fully understanding what they’re getting into if they rely solely on AI to help them close the deal, or relying on an AI-empowered agent hundreds of miles away who has zero experience with the intricacies of the local market they’re buying in.”

But, Frey acknowledges, experienced buyers and investors who know the ins and outs of real estate may welcome a more hands-off, AI-driven option. “In fact, many will wholeheartedly embrace it,” Frey predicts. And they might also value the cost savings — WithJoy says buyers using their system can receive a rebate of up to 70% of the buy-side commission.

What lies ahead

Many agents are already embracing AI tools in their everyday work, letting the tech handle time-consuming tasks like writing up CMAs or listing descriptions so an agent can simply review them rather than create them from scratch.

Tech-forward brokerages like Real, Compass and Keller Williams have created proprietary AI tools for their agents, as have third-party proptech companies and startups, and MLSs are jumping on the AI bandwagon as well.

It’s clear that the technology is not only here to stay, but rapidly advancing — and in an AI future, real estate professionals who don’t embrace it will likely get left behind.

Stephanie Prange

July 10, 2025

Generative AI company Luma AI has announced the launch of its initiative “Dream Lab LA” headquartered in Los Angeles that combines AI technology with expertise in filmmaking.

“Dream Lab LA is designed as a creative engine room where Hollywood veterans, emerging storytellers, studios, and curious minds come together to shape the next era of storytelling — before it arrives,” according to a Luma AI press release.

According to the company, Dream Lab LA will allow filmmakers to collaborate, learn and tell new stories; studios get embedded support to modernize workflows and upskill teams; and “curious daredevils push boundaries and experiment freely.”

“Dream Lab LA is where we build what everyone else is still guessing at,” Amit Jain, CEO and founder of Luma AI, said in a statement. “This is not about chasing trends, this is about defining what’s next.”

Dream Lab LA exists to explore how AI can empower creativity, not replace it, according to Luma AI, offering a space for experimentation, education, and collaboration between studios and creators.

Luma AI also announced the leadership team for Dream Lab LA, naming Verena Puhm as head of the studio. With experience in both traditional and AI-driven storytelling, Puhm has shaped content for global giants such as CNN, BBC, Netflix, Red Bull Media and Leonine Studios. As one of the earliest creatives to embrace AI in filmmaking, she’s led projects recognized by Sundance, Project Odyssey, Curious Refuge and OpenAI’s Sora Selects. In her new role, Puhm will spearhead the studio’s vision for next-generation content and lead a slate of productions.

“I believe the future of storytelling should be shaped by the people who tell stories, not just the people who build the tools,” Puhm said in a statement. “We’re cultivating a community, a creative lab, and a launchpad for what’s next. This isn’t just another platform; it’s a creative studio built from the ground up to blend technological innovation with artistic intention.”

Jon Finger, creative workflow executive, brings more than 15 years of experience at the intersection of emerging technology and content creation. A pioneer in at-home motion capture, 3-D scanning, and virtual production, he has worked across various entertainment sectors with brands such as Paramount Network, The Game Awards, and Comedy Central, and has developed for Netflix. For the past three years, Finger has focused on AI integration in filmmaking, developing workflows that give creators physicalized control over AI-driven productions.

“The focus here is to find the best experiences for passionate creatives,” Finger said in a statement. “The world is changing quickly, and we want to find the best ways for fun, fulfilling human-centric creative expression to not only continue but be amplified, so more creative people can find a new prosperous way forward.”

From its Modify Video, Reframe, and Keyframes to its foundation models Ray2 and Photon, Luma creates instruments explicitly designed for narrative storytelling.

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

Any fintech founder will tell you that compliance is important — that’s because it is. But in today’s world of unparalleled financial innovation, whole new currencies, entirely new payment methods and borderless money, compliance is not nearly the most exciting topic.

For money to move, however, it needs to be compliant. Whether we like it or not, compliance is a necessary consideration that, if done incorrectly, could result in hefty fines.

It’s, therefore, no surprise that organizations continuously find ways to delegate compliance responsibility. Realistically, this is where most major banks that have received headline-worthy fines for non-compliance have faltered. It’s also no surprise that, as an industry, we’ve found ways for AI to streamline these processes for us.

The fact of the matter is that compliance is made simpler through the integration of artificial intelligence technology. But the real promise of compliance innovation isn’t just the application of artificial intelligence; it’s the integration of blockchain technology and tokenization — technology that isn’t being widely used yet in the traditional finance industry.

Related: How AI Revolutionizes Compliance Strategies, Shifting Them From Reactive to Proactive for Global Success

Achieving compliance with AI

When you boil fintech compliance down to its fundamental principles, it rests on thorough AML (anti-money laundering) and KYC (know your customer) screenings. These protocols have been in place since the dawn of financial record-keeping requirements in the 1970s and have been compulsory for organizations ever since.

AML and KYC processes involve heavy levels of paperwork; rigorous background checks are required of banking customers and vendors, and a meticulous eye on transaction activity must be maintained constantly to make sure no suspicious or illegitimate activity is processed.

It’s these tedious and time-consuming processes that are the most automatable through the application of AI. AI models are able to detect anomalies in transaction activity on a 24/7 basis to quickly flag and respond to suspicious activity. The promise and realization of real-time compliance monitoring have a positive impact on fintech’s ability to keep up with compliance requirements. A diversion away from reliance on human monitoring leaves much less room for error and saves company resources, too.

AI is also able to efficiently cross-reference user applications with requirements and provide the necessary approvals for customers to be onboarded quickly. More than that, when routine re-verification is required, AI is able to automate this to facilitate KYC renewal checks automatically — streamlining the process and fulfilling the requirement in the background.

The next level of compliance

But if we look even beyond AI, there’s a new and exciting wave of compliance technology on the horizon that will further transform the way fintechs and broader industries are able to follow compliance requirements. Blockchain technology, as it continues to revolutionize finance as we know it through the advent of regulated stablecoins, CBDCs and broader cryptocurrencies, will eventually infiltrate wider operations in the fintech sector, including compliance.

It’s the core principles of blockchain technology, such as tokenized information, immutable ledgers and private/public cryptography that make it such a game-changer for compliance.

The concept of tokenization doesn’t just apply to assets; tokenizing information allows companies to translate personal identifiable information (PII) — critical information for the KYC and AML screening process — into encrypted code, which can be shared between financial organizations and vendors as a means of verifying someone’s identity and therefore the transaction.

The benefit of tokenizing the information is that personal information can be verified from one organization to another without revealing PII. It removes the need for constant data-sharing requests while preserving the data’s privacy and integrity.

Related: 6 Ways Automation Can Eliminate Your Company’s Compliance Risks

All of this is performed on an immutable ledger. That is, a record that is unchangeable and permanent, a hallmark of transparency that complies with requirements for regulatory oversight and audit processes. The digitization of this ledger propels financial institutions out of manual record-keeping processes and into a world where transaction information is more standardized, accessible and transparent.

This technology is already being implemented today and will continue to redefine how organizations treat and achieve compliance moving further into the future. AI and blockchain technology in themselves drive significant impact on facilitating compliant transactions, and together, the benefits scale dramatically.

When we think of compliance, many people still think of a drawn-out, tedious process, but AI and blockchain technology will soon say goodbye to that perception, ushering in a new era of efficiency, accuracy and automation — and it’s about time.