The next chapter of AI in real estate: What Zillow engineers see coming

Zillow's product, science and engineering teams have a unique view into the shift emerging as AI evolves beyond chat-based assistance, because they're the ones building that future for real estate. At Zillow, AI is not a standalone feature layered onto search. It is embedded within workflows in an integrated transaction system. As more buyers, sellers, renters and real estate professionals engage across that connected system, the platform improves, strengthening personalization, guidance and outcomes.

Here are the trends Zillow engineers believe will define the next three to five years - and how they align with Zillow's AI-native strategy.

AI that operates across the transaction

Most consumers first encountered AI through chat interfaces. That model is evolving into agent-based systems designed to take action across multiple steps.

"I think there'll be more agentic AI in practice," says Anil Roy, senior product manager for AI and experiences. "AI will act as a smart version of yourself. It'll join meetings, take follow-up notes and even make quick decisions as if you are joining that meeting."

Anusha Bagalkotkar, senior applied scientist, sees a similar future "where, with one click, you can achieve multiple tasks."

In residential real estate, transactions unfold over months and involve regulated, license-dependent workflows. Systems that can operate from discovery through touring coordination, pricing guidance and transaction oversight reflect the complexity of housing far more accurately than isolated tools.

Zillow's integrated platform aims to connect these stages in a single system. Because AI is embedded throughout interconnected consumer and professional workflows, intelligence can operate across the full residential journey rather than within disconnected features - supporting agents and other licensed professionals as they guide clients through complex decisions.

AI embedded in everyday interaction

AI is also becoming more ambient and multimodal.

"AI is going to get liberated from our phones and laptops," says Julia Keintz, vice president of analytics. "We're going to be interacting with AI in our everyday environments" using our voices instead of typing, she adds.

At the infrastructure level, systems are becoming faster and more responsive. "Multimodal AI is going to be much [faster] and much more effective in how it engages with us," says Lakshmi Dixit, vice president of tech engineering and operations. "The interaction between you and the computer is going to be much more effective."

For housing, this evolution raises expectations for seamless experiences. Zillow already combines rich home characteristics, pricing signals, media and behavioral insights within its platform. As AI capabilities advance across the industry, platforms that connect structured housing data with real-world workflows are positioned to deliver more precise matches and smarter guidance that helps agents serve their clients.

Personalization and accessibility at scale

As AI becomes embedded within structured, first-party housing data generated inside licensed transaction workflows, personalization becomes more precise.

Zillow's platform benefits from persistent consumer relationships across the housing journey.

More than 230 million average monthly unique users engage with Zillow throughout that process, generating high-intent, first-party behavioral signals tied to buying, selling and renting decisions. Because these signals are connected within a single system, each consumer's experience becomes more relevant the more they interact.

At that scale, advances in AI extend beyond personalization to accessibility. "AI will enable more seamless and faster language translation in real time," Roy predicts, broadening access and helping more consumers navigate housing comfortably and confidently.

Zillow trains and deploys both general-purpose models and AI purpose-built for housing, grounded in proprietary, category-specific data. Those insights are designed to complement professional expertise, equipping agents and other real estate professionals with better information as they advise their clients.

AI as core infrastructure

AI is also transforming how technology systems are built and operated.

"We'll see smaller models become more prevalent," says Bagalkotkar. Smaller, optimized models can improve latency and cost efficiency, enabling more responsive experiences for consumers and real estate professionals while strengthening privacy and security. Those safeguards are essential in a regulated, license-dependent industry like housing.

Dixit expects automation to expand across operational systems as autonomous and self-healing technologies mature. These systems can resolve routine issues quickly and consistently, from identifying data inconsistencies to automatically escalating system errors, allowing professionals to focus on higher-value, more complex work where human expertise matters most.

She also anticipates AI will help Zillow build and deliver new products more efficiently. "The time it takes from ideation to getting something into our customers' hands is going to be cut down by 50 to 60%," she says. That acceleration allows new ideas to become practical tools for consumers and real estate professionals sooner.

Because Zillow's AI tools are embedded inside core professional workflows - such as customer relationship management - they support real-world execution and help professionals work more efficiently throughout the housing transaction.

Leading in an AI-driven era of real estate

In an AI-driven environment, advantage accrues to platforms with integrated workflows, closed-loop transaction data and direct consumer relationships at scale.

Zillow's integrated transaction platform connects the housing journey within a single system, allowing intelligence to operate where real-world execution happens and supporting the professionals who carry transactions forward.

As AI continues to evolve, the platforms that integrate intelligence throughout the full transaction will shape how residential real estate operates - and Zillow will continue leading the way.