Beyond the Billboards explores the widening gap between AI adoption and AI understanding, and why that divide may be the industry’s biggest design flaw.

From San Francisco’s AI-saturated skyline to the boardrooms racing to deploy new tools, the blog uncovers a crucial truth: everyone is using AI, but few truly understand how it works. Author [Voiceflip or Meagan Zeman—depending on who’s credited] dives into what real AI literacy looks like, the three questions every company should be asking about their models, and why the future of AI depends less on innovation, and more on education.

Triad MLS has partnered with Voiceflip to launch Ardi, an AI-powered virtual assistant built to elevate member support for real estate professionals across the Triad region. Accessible 24/7 across multiple platforms and available in 26 languages, Ardi delivers instant, accurate answers to member questions about MLS access, compliance, training, and more.

“Ardi isn’t just about introducing AI,” said Richard Renton, CEO of Triad MLS. “It’s about creating a faster, more intuitive experience that empowers real estate professionals to focus on their clients.”

The partnership underscores Triad MLS’s commitment to innovation and customer-first service, offering smarter, more responsive tools that help members work efficiently and stay informed in today’s fast-paced market.

Most MLSs focus on recruiting new members, but the real challenge is keeping the ones they already have. Members rarely leave because of price; they leave when they feel ignored, frustrated, or unsupported. In Why Your Next Retention Strategy Should Include AI, Voiceflip COO Meagan Zeman explains how AI can turn everyday support into a loyalty engine. From 24/7 help that builds trust to data that reveals early signs of churn, AI gives staff the freedom to focus on what truly keeps members, relationships.

The Western Upstate Association of REALTORS® (WUAR) is stepping into the future of member support with the launch of Ardi, an AI-powered virtual assistant created in partnership with Voiceflip. Available 24/7 across text, voice, and popular platforms like Teams, Slack, WhatsApp, and Facebook, Ardi is designed to give REALTORS® in the Western Upstate region instant answers on MLS access, compliance, education opportunities, product training, and more.

“Ardi isn’t just another chatbot,” said Josh Grant, Interim President of WUAR. “It’s a tool built to understand the unique needs of our members and to deliver accurate, timely information wherever they are, whether in the office, at home, or on the go.”

With support in 26 languages and a knowledge base tailored specifically to WUAR’s culture and resources, Ardi represents a major step forward in making real estate support smarter, faster, and more accessible.

Excerpt – How Real Estate Leaders Turn AI Into Action
Nearly 70% of agents are already using AI, but many associations and MLSs are still just “curious.” The risk? Falling behind your members. The key is to start small, tie AI directly to pain points like FAQs, compliance, or onboarding, and build from there. Real leaders don’t just talk about AI; they turn it into tangible member value.

These systems don’t follow trees; they reason, pick the right specialist agents, and take action, grounded in your first-party data and wrapped in governance. Think: analyze a billing issue, explain usage, apply a credit, escalate to a human, all in one flow. With multi-agent orchestration across vendors, support teams move from answering questions to shaping experiences. This isn’t automation for speed alone; it’s how you deliver efficient, human, end-to-end resolutions at scale.

AI isn’t replacing your call center, it’s transforming it. Instead of burning out staff with endless password resets and billing questions, AI takes the repetitive load so your team can focus on the work that requires judgment, empathy, and strategy. The result? Faster answers for members, less stress for employees, and data-driven insights that elevate the entire support experience. The future isn’t about cutting jobs, it’s about shifting roles upstream and creating a hybrid model where AI handles the routine and people deliver the real value.

AI promises speed, accuracy, and cost savings, but none of that erases accountability. When your organization puts an AI assistant in front of members or clients, you own the outcomes. Wrong answers, outdated data, and missed context are inevitable. What matters is how you prepare for them.

Accountability doesn’t vanish with automation; it grows more important. Organizations that set clear rules, train their staff, and establish review processes will maintain trust even when AI slips up. The best leaders turn accountability into a strength, openly sharing their oversight approach, correcting errors quickly, and reminding members that AI is a tool, not a replacement for people.

We’re at a crossroads. Around the world, countries like China, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Japan are embedding AI into their classrooms, teaching kids not just to use the tools, but to question and understand them. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Canada are still experimenting without a clear framework, leaving students (and workers) to figure it out on their own. The result? A generation that knows how to push AI buttons but not how to think critically about what comes out the other side.

If we want more than copy-pasted emails and robot-sounding reports, we need to treat AI literacy like digital hygiene, something taught in schools, practiced at home, and reinforced in the workplace.

Doorify MLS has partnered with Voiceflip to bring Ardi, an AI-powered virtual assistant, to real estate professionals across North Carolina.
Ardi delivers instant, 24/7 answers on MLS access, compliance, training, and industry updates, available across text, voice, web, Teams, Slack, WhatsApp, and more, in 26 languages. This partnership reflects Doorify MLS’s commitment to innovation and member-first support, ensuring agents get fast, accurate answers anytime, on any platform.

Build or Buy? The Real AI Question for Real Estate

Executives often weigh vendor costs against a developer’s salary, but that’s the wrong math. Building means months of research, maintenance, infrastructure, and compliance headaches. Buying isn’t perfect either, with vendor lock-in and limited customization.

The rule of thumb? Buy first to move fast and learn. Build only when AI is core to your advantage and you have the expertise to sustain it.

Clients don’t care if you built or bought, they care if it works.

At the DFW Real Producers Masterclass last week, I joined a panel to cut through the AI noise in real estate. The room was full of top-performing agents who’ve seen every tech pitch under the sun, and many felt overwhelmed.

My advice was simple: start small, think smart, keep going.
Pick one tedious task, give a clear prompt, and see if AI can do it faster. If it works, expand. If not, pivot. The goal isn’t wholesale adoption, it’s building confidence and fluency one step at a time.

The agents scribbling notes that day weren’t just learning about AI tools, they were preparing to leave the competition behind. The question isn’t if you’ll use AI, it’s when.