Real estate agents are being hunted by robots, but they’re fighting back with something artificial intelligence can’t replicate: human connection.
Ryan Serhant’s chief technology officer, Ryan Coyne, delivered a stark message to the AREC audience —technology companies are using agents as testing grounds while positioning AI as their replacement.
“There’s a lot of hype,” Coyne said.
“It’s a lot of companies that are just looking for product market fit. They’re looking to use you as a testing ground and as a proof that they can then go to investors and say, give us millions and millions of dollars because we’ve got all these consumers using our product.”
The blunt assessment came as OpenAI recently acquired hardware design company for $6.5 billion, signalling a shift away from software-only solutions.
But Coyne’s message wasn’t one of surrender.
Instead, he outlined a strategy that turns AI into an amplifier rather than a replacement—combining personality profiling with custom chatbots to create what he calls “psychographics and AI working together.”
The approach centres on DISC personality assessments—dominant, influential, steady, and conscientious—which reveal that over 80% of real estate agents cluster in the leadership and social connector categories.
This matters because understanding personality types before meeting clients can transform every interaction.
Coyne demonstrated how tools like Crystal Knows can analyse LinkedIn profiles to predict client behaviour, objections, and communication preferences in seconds.
“Every single one of you in that room, you wear a GPS ankle monitor with a microphone attached to it called a cell phone,” Coyne said.
“And every single thing that you do is recorded and used against you.”
Rather than fear this data collection, successful agents can leverage it.
By building custom chatbots loaded with their personality profiles, writing styles, client histories, and unique value propositions, agents create AI assistants that understand context without explanation.
The technology goes beyond basic automation.
Coyne’s custom bot, dubbed “the Coyne Oracle,” helps generate buyer personas for specific listings, predict seller objections based on personality types, and craft authentic marketing strategies that reflect an agent’s genuine voice.
One powerful example involved conflict resolution between clients.
By feeding personality data into the system, Coyne transformed a heated dispute into South Park metaphors that helped warring parties see their situation’s absurdity—defusing tension through humour.
The approach addresses a fundamental challenge facing Australian agents: making powerful first impressions during brief open house windows.
“You don’t have a ton of time with every single person that you’re going to talk to,” Coyne said.
“You wanna make that great first impression.”
While AI automation typically completes only 27% of intended tasks, human-AI collaboration achieves far higher success rates by maintaining the agent at the centre of every transaction.
The strategy requires agents to complete DISC assessments, study personality patterns in existing clients, and build custom chatbots that reflect their authentic brand and communication style.
For an industry where relationships drive revenue, this human-centred approach to AI offers a compelling alternative to replacement fears.
Agents who master personality-driven AI tools won’t just survive the technology revolution—they’ll use it to forge deeper connections with clients who increasingly crave authentic human interaction in an automated world.
