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Hybrid ‘buyer agent’ blends AI with the human touch

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AI concept and a real estate agent working with clients
Illustration by Lanette Behiry/Real Estate News; Shutterstock

Newly launched brokerage WithJoy.AI aims to get buyers through most of a transaction with tech, providing a big commission rebate in return.

Key points:

  • The brokerage, currently active in Washington state, envisioned a “purely AI real estate agent,” but says their approach offers “the best of both worlds.”
  • Many traditional buyer agent tasks are handled by the company’s AI-powered technology, with agents on standby “to hold your hand.”
  • Buyers who complete a transaction with the firm can receive a rebate of up to 70% of the buy-side commission.

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.



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Scotta taps Nextail AI powered technology to support retailer’s growth across stores and online — Retail Technology Innovation Hub

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“We’re committed to growing without compromising our values or customer experience. Partnering with Nextail allows us to proactively address operational bottlenecks and bring more precision and agility to our stock decisions. As we grow, it will be even more important to continue delivering on our brand promise of offering high-quality products at a fair price with an authentic story,” says Carlos Serra, Scotta CEO.

By leveraging Nextail, Scotta aims to boost sell-through and margins, reduce markdowns and stockouts, and improve strategic collaboration across teams through data driven insights and automation.

“Growing brands like Scotta prove that forward thinkers don’t need to wait to operate like larger industry leaders,” says Carlos Miragall, CEO and Co-Founder at Nextail. “By choosing to tackle key inventory challenges early on, they’re setting the foundation for sustainable and efficient growth, and we’re proud to be part of that story.”

RTIH AI in Retail Awards

RTIH, organiser of the industry leading RTIH Innovation Awards, proudly brings you the first edition of the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, which is now open for entries. 

As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers’ businesses.

With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.

Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work – resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Wednesday, 3rd September.  



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Virginia 911 call center implements AI technology to allow dispatchers to focus on emergency calls – KTVB

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Virginia 911 call center implements AI technology to allow dispatchers to focus on emergency calls  KTVB



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In test-obsessed Korea, AI boom arrives in exams, ahead of the technology itself

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