Sometimes a gift is hard to receive because it’s unexpected and overwhelming. This one was overwhelming. And I’m a bit hesitant to post this. It’s not something I normally do. It makes me feel uncomfortable.
Because I don’t want it to sound like a humblebrag. Which is funny, because saying that is a lot like saying, “I don’t mean to offend anyone” right before you say something offensive.
I received a standing ovation from the hundreds of leaders in the audience at the Texas REALTORS® Winter Meetings in Austin on Saturday afternoon, and I’m genuinely grateful.
But the real gift of validation was the conversations that followed, particularly things people said to me quietly in the hallways, at the bar, and at lunch tables. Because the real story is what leaders are grappling with… trust, influence and what AI is doing to us and not just our workflows.
One older REALTOR® said to me, “I was disgusted.” To be clear, that’s not something I would have thought would make me happy, but since she followed by saying she loved the presentation. The signal her comment delivered was that I had likely nailed the right combination of “holy shit!” and hopeful shit.
Another Association leader told me it was the best keynote presentation he had heard in a long time, then said he was getting tired of AI presentations focused on lead gen, efficiency, and prompt writing. This is encouraging me to keep heading in this direction and to focus on how we, as humans, impose our own guardrails to protect human agency and connection in the age of artificial intimacy.
And a younger REALTOR said, “I turned to look at the rest of the audience to see if others were reacting the way I was.” She wanted to make sure she wasn’t alone in her emotions. She was seeking validation as well.
She is not alone. You are not alone. We are not alone.
Honoring The Gift Of Validation
All of that taught me that if a room packed with real estate leaders will stand and applaud after a presentation like this, we may be closer to responsible AI adoption than I feared. And that leaves me both hopeful and motivated.
That motivation will drive me to do further research into the power dynamics behind the helpful little robots we now rely on daily. I’ll be spending more time refining this presentation and narrowing the focus to truly actionable ways to guard against AI’s manipulative framing of both questions and responses. To help others identify the patterns and interrupt them.
And to be clear, this framing is primarily obscured by AI’s polite willingness to press us ever further toward letting it take over every aspect of our lives, personal and professional. It’s insidious and hard to see, unless you are looking for it.
We must look for it. We must be prepared for it.
If the AI giants are not going to deliver the guardrails required to ensure we maintain human agency, then we each need to be ready to do so personally. It may be the only way we can safely engage and take advantage of the positive outcomes that will also be possible with these new companions.
Thank you to Mike Barnett and the Texas REALTORS® team for providing the platform to launch this conversation. There will be more to come.
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