Whether you’re using AI to power up your proposals, streamline admin, or finally retire that decade-old listing template — these takeaways are designed to help you work smarter, stay relevant, and actually get more time back.
Typing is so 2022. Let’s get into it.
Recently, I posted a carousel on LinkedIn about Shopify’s “AI first approach”, but the truth is I have been thinking about this concept in our own business for quite a while.
Here’s the article “Reflexive AI usage is now a baseline expectation at Shopify” – if you’d like to read the full thing:
TLDR:
- AI is Essential: Everyone at Shopify, from top executives to regular employees, needs to use AI tools in their daily tasks. Being good with AI is considered a basic skill, and how well employees use AI is part of their performance reviews.
- AI Before Hiring: Before asking to hire more people, teams must show that AI can’t do the job. This rule is to make sure AI is used as much as possible before adding more staff.
- Focus on Learning: Employees should regularly use AI tools and share what they learn. This helps everyone keep improving their skills and stay updated with new technology.
I agree with all of this, but I would add, “so long as it improves and does not diminish the customer experience.”
Here are my top 10 takeaways for the real estate industry.
1. AI Literacy Is No Longer Optional
Understanding and applying AI in your work is a baseline requirement, not a bonus skill. Choosing not to engage with it risks falling behind in capability and performance.
Whether you’re an agent, a BDM, or running a property team, start thinking about how you can make AI your bestie.
2. Mastery Comes Through Practice
Effective AI use isn’t intuitive—it must be learned by doing. Prompting well, refining outputs, and integrating results into workflows all take time to develop.
Make an LLM your web browser home page. Now.
3. AI Is a Multiplier, Not Just a Tool
AI doesn’t just streamline work – it amplifies the impact of highly skilled individuals (as well as less skilled individuals!)
Those who use it well can deliver personalised results that all your templated correspondence of the last decade could only dream of.
4. Prompting (or perhaps speaking) is the new typing
Learning how to ask AI for what you need is a real skill. Don’t expect magic if you haven’t done the learning. Do expect to get better at it with practice.
(If you hate typing, try a tool I am loving at the moment called Flow. It has increased my productivity at least 2x with the LLMs – and works with all sorts of other software including CRMs).
5. Proposals, copy, pre-listing kits – get AI to do the first draft and personalise it
You’re not outsourcing the thinking, just speeding up the heavy lifting. Let AI give you a head start and then make it your own.
NB, the finished product shouldn’t sound like an AI. We have come too far for that!
6. AI-First Thinking Will Influence Resourcing
If you’re not using AI to shave time off your admin load, you’re probably just slapping a band-aid to patch over inefficiency.
At Elite Agent, we’re not just fixing things any more, we’re slowing down a bit to continually ask ourselves, “What does AI first look like? How can we reimagine this process?
7. Experimentation Is a Team Sport
Part of this is having weekly team sharing sessions where we build GPTs and workflows and generally identify and fix our “pain points.”
This is not just me but everyone on the team – even our VA Charmagne is taking the initiative and building GPTs. This collective experimentation drives faster learning and wider adoption.
8. Share
If someone cracks a great listing description workflow or automates half of their CRM updates, your team should all know about it. This is where “collaboration” stops being lip service. (And if your office is not quite on board yet, this is a good reason to join the Spark community and share something today!!)
9. Leadership Is by Example
At Shopify, the directive isn’t just to the employees; it’s a shared commitment. Even the CEO and executive team are expected to be hands-on with AI in their work.
The takeaway: Lead by example. If you’re a leader and you’re still hesitating, the time is now.
10. The Workplace Is Rapidly Redefining Itself
AI is reshaping what productivity, creativity, and decision-making look like. The companies that evolve with it—and the individuals who embrace it—will define the next chapter of work – of that I am sure!
What do you think of Shopify’s AI first policy?
*This article was originally published by AI Powered Agents and can be read in full here.
