Real Estate's AI "Opt-Out" Is Nearly Extinct, New Delta Media Analysis Finds
A fresh look at three years of Delta Media survey data shows AI adoption saturates all but the smallest independents
CANTON, Ohio, Aug. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The number of real estate brokerages with no plans to adopt AI has collapsed to just 2 percent in 2026, down from 4 percent in 2025 and nearly 11 percent in 2024, according to a new year-over-year analysis of the Delta Media Real Estate AI & Leadership Survey from the last three years from Delta Media Group.
The same three-year look-back finds that the AI adoption gap between mid-size brokerages and the industry's largest firms, a gap Delta Media has tracked since the survey began, has now closed entirely.
The pattern across all three years points in one direction: whatever hesitation that once separated early adopters from the rest of the industry is disappearing, brokerage by brokerage and segment by segment.
“Every year we run this survey, the story is less about who is trying AI and more about who still has not,” said Michael Minard, CEO and owner of Delta Media Group. “That second group is nearly gone. When we started tracking this three years ago, non-adoption was a real category. Today, it is a rounding error and the brokerages in the middle and the industry giants both report essentially full AI adoption."
The last holdouts are disappearing
- Brokerages with no plans to adopt AI in the coming year fell from 10.6% in 2024, to 4.0% in 2025, to just 1.9% in 2026.
- Brokerages reporting no AI use at all fell from 24.8% (2024) to 11.9% (2025) to 3.9% (2026).
- The share of leaders rating AI’s importance today an 8 or higher (on a 10-point scale) nearly doubled in a single year – from 28.7% in 2025 to 47.6% in 2026.
The middle market has caught up to the majors
- In 2024, mid-size brokerages (101–500 agents) already reported slightly higher agent AI use (84%) than the largest firms, 500+ agents (82%).
- By 2026, both segments reached 100 percent – full parity between mid-size and the largest brokerages in the survey.
- The one segment still meaningfully behind is the smallest independent brokerages (fewer than 10 agents), where reported usage has moved unevenly year to year rather than climbing steadily – the clearest sign of where the remaining adoption work is concentrated.
Brokerages are consolidating around all-in-one AI platforms
- The value brokerage leaders place on all-in-one marketing platforms that include AI and automation rose to 7.3 out of 10 in 2026 – the highest of the three years surveyed, after dipping slightly in 2025.
- More than half of leaders (51.5%) now rate these platforms an 8 or higher, up from 41.6% in 2025.
Brokerages are not just adopting AI piece by piece anymore, according to Minard. “They are consolidating around partners who can deliver it as part of one connected platform. Soon, we will reveal what that will look like for Delta customers,” Minard added.
About this analysis
This analysis draws on individual, respondent-level data from all three years of the Delta Media Real Estate AI & Leadership Survey of more than 100 brokerage leader responses in 2024-2026. Figures on brokerage size reflect self-reported agent counts; the smallest-firm figures (fewer than 10 agents) are based on small sample sizes (5–11 respondents per year).
About Delta Media Group
Delta Media Group, Inc. is America’s largest family-owned real estate technology provider for brokerages. Located in Canton, Ohio, it is the inventor of DeltaNET, known as the industry’s most advanced CRM-based, all-in-one digital marketing platform. One of the largest real estate technology solutions firms in the US, Delta Media is the trusted technology partner for more than 80 LeadingRE Affiliates and over 50 top-ranked brokerages nationwide. Discover more at deltamediagroup.com.
Media contacts:
Kevin Hawkins (206) 866-1220
kevin@wavgroup.com
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Delta Media AI Survey: AI adoption by real estate brokerage size, 2024–2026
Delta Media Group’s three years of AI surveys show widespread AI adoption across real estate brokerages of every size. In 2026, reported AI use reached 100% among large, mid-large and small firms, while mid-size brokerages reached 90.9% and micro brokerages reached 81.8%.
Delta Media AI Survey: Real estate brokerages reporting no AI plans, by firm size, 2024–2026
Delta Media Group’s three years of AI surveys show the share of real estate brokerages reporting no plans to use AI has fallen sharply across firms of nearly every size. In 2026, micro brokerages had the highest rate at 9.1%, while just 3% of large brokerages reported having no plans to use AI.
Michael Minard of Delta Media Group
Michael Minard is owner and CEO of Delta Media Group and a leading real estate AI expert.
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