Zillow Unveils Open-Source AI Tool to Promote Fair Housing in Real Estate

Zillow has announced the release of its open-source Fair Housing Classifier, a tool designed to ensure responsible and unbiased behavior in AI-powered real estate conversations. This initiative aims to combat discrimination and promote equity in housing.

Key Takeaways

• Fair Housing Classifier: An open-source tool to prevent bias in AI-driven real estate interactions.
• Focus on Equity: Aims to mitigate illegal steering and promote fair housing practices.
• Collaborative Effort: Encourages contributions from civil rights, tech, and real estate sectors.
• Transparency Commitment: Part of Zillow's broader mission to increase transparency and fairness in real estate.

Zillow's Commitment to Fair Housing

Zillow has long been a pioneer in using AI to enhance the real estate experience. Since 2006, tools like the Zestimate have brought transparency to home shoppers. The Fair Housing Classifier is the latest addition to Zillow's suite of AI tools, designed to ensure that advancements in technology do not come at the expense of equity and fairness for consumers.

"We've made it our business to increase transparency in real estate," said Josh Weisberg, senior vice president of Artificial Intelligence at Zillow. "Open sourcing this classifier demonstrates that advancements in technology do not need to come at the expense of equity and fairness for consumers."

Addressing Discrimination in Housing

The Fair Housing Classifier is designed to act as a protective measure against steering, the practice of influencing a buyer's choice of communities based on legally protected characteristics. This tool detects questions that could lead to discriminatory responses in real estate experiences, such as search or chatbots. It identifies instances of noncompliance, allowing system developers to intervene.

Michael Akinwumi, Ph.D., chief responsible AI officer at the National Fair Housing Alliance, praised Zillow's initiative, stating, "Zillow's open-source approach sets an admirable precedent for responsible innovation. We encourage other organizations and coalition groups to actively participate, test, and enhance the model and share their findings with the public."

Collaborative and Open-Source Approach

The decision to offer the Fair Housing Classifier as open-source underscores Zillow's commitment to transparency, equity, and fair housing in real estate. Organizations looking to adopt the Fair Housing Classifier can access the code and comprehensive framework on GitHub. Trusted partners can contribute to and enhance the classifier by requesting access to training data and a pretrained model.

The Need for Fair Housing Tools

A recent Zillow survey of over 12,000 Americans revealed that 57% reported experiencing some form of housing discrimination. This figure rises to 79% for LGBTQ+ respondents, 69% for Black respondents, and 64% for Hispanic and Latino respondents. Despite nearly 60 years of fair housing laws, discrimination remains a significant issue in housing.

Making the Fair Housing Classifier available as open-source is just one way Zillow is innovating its pro-consumer approach. Earlier this year, Zillow's cross-functional ethical AI team published AI principles, highlighting the company's commitment to prioritizing equitable outcomes in real estate.

Conclusion

Zillow's release of the Fair Housing Classifier marks a significant step towards promoting fair housing in AI-powered real estate conversations. By offering this tool as open-source, Zillow is fostering a collaborative effort to combat discrimination and ensure equity in housing for all.

Sources

• Zillow providing open-source technology to promote fair housing in AI-powered real estate conversations - May 21, 2024, Zillow MediaRoom.
• Zillow’s new AI tool aims to promote equality in housing - HousingWire, HousingWire.

Keller Williams Unveils Revolutionary AI-Powered Real Estate Assistant, KWIQ

Keller Williams Realty, Inc. (KW), the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count, has launched KWIQ, a generative AI-powered real estate assistant. This innovative tool is designed to enhance the efficiency, creativity, and productivity of real estate agents by leveraging advanced AI technology.

Key Takeaways

• KWIQ is a generative AI-powered real estate assistant.
• It is integrated into KW’s proprietary technologies, including Command and Connect.
• KWIQ assists with content creation, market research, and automation.
• The tool is trained on KW’s proprietary models, systems, and training resources.

A New Era for Real Estate Agents

KWIQ, launched in Q2 '24, is accessible via an interactive, intelligent chatbot within KW’s proprietary technologies. These include Command, a cloud-based CRM-plus platform, and Connect, a learning management system. According to Chris Cox, Chief Technology and Digital Officer at KW, KWIQ is set to transform the way agents work by empowering them to operate smarter, faster, and more effectively.

Features and Benefits

KWIQ offers a range of features designed to support real estate agents in their daily tasks:

• Information and Insights: KWIQ provides information on various real estate topics and market trends, helping agents gain valuable insights.
• Content Creation: The AI assistant helps draft content such as newsletters, social media posts, and listing descriptions, saving agents time and effort.
• AI Tools and Automation: KWIQ offers guidance on using AI tools, setting up automation, and integrating AI into workflows, thereby streamlining processes and improving productivity.

Continuous Improvement and Future Updates

KWIQ is trained on premier training content from Keller Williams University, best-practice business models from top agents, and KW’s library of best-selling real estate books. The tool will continuously improve with additional content and features. Within the next six to nine months, KWIQ is expected to provide real-time market research and analysis, offering data and insights into local market conditions and trends.

Commitment to Excellence

Keller Williams is committed to enhancing the efficiency, creativity, and productivity of its agents. The company plans to roll out additional features that will save agents time and money, ultimately helping them provide the best client experience. With the advantage of having the most data in the industry, KW aims to connect market- and production-based datasets into KWIQ to further aid agents in their work.

About Keller Williams

Based in Austin, Texas, Keller Williams is the world’s largest real estate franchise by agent count, with more than 1,100 offices and 174,000 agents. The franchise is also No. 1 in units and sales volume in the U.S. Since 1983, the company has cultivated an agent-centric, technology-driven, and education-based culture that rewards agents as stakeholders.

Sources

• Keller Williams Launches Gen AI-Powered Real Estate Assistant, KWIQ | Business Wire, Business Wire.

My source of inspiration (part 2)

I re-discovered radio 4-5 years ago - or should I call it time-shifted radio.

For the more tech savvy, we'll call it a podcast. Podcasts are actual radio shows that your computer records, and that your MP3 player can play you, anytime you wish. I learn tons of new things this way, be it in marketing, history, politics, business in general...and the best part is: I learn while I am in a taxi or in the BTS (Bangkok metro) - so I am not wasting my time.

Below is a list of podcasts I consider essentials to any french entrepreneur living in Bangkok (yeah, I know... it is niche!!!)

- Rue des Entrepreneurs (France inter) - as the title says...
- 2000 ans d'histoire - a brilliant history podcast covering in 30mn a specific theme
- LCI Plein Ecran - what's the latest in the IT world
- Hubspot TV - very cool program for inbound marketing
- On refait le monde (RTL) - to keep track of french news/politics
- Harvard Business Ideacast - sometimes boring,but usually great.
- Quick and Dirty Tips (plenty of podcasts there.. very very good content)
- Internet Business Mastery (not all episodes are good but it is quite inspirational to listen time to time)
- Marketing Online Live - hmm, funny internet marketers with passion with what they do
- Diggnation (okay, you dont learn much with this program, but this is fun to watch)

My sources of inspiration...

We all need a boost time to time.

We all need to be inspired. And inspiration often comes from other people.

Below is a list of people that give me that boost on a regular basis. (just type their names on Google and you'll find their blogs/podcasts easily .Of course, this is not valid for the mysterious S. Jobs...)

- Seth Godin: just read his blog and you'll understand
- Loic Lemeur: he's french living in SF, and running his 3rd internet venture (if i am not mistaken. He is a cool guy - simple and full of energy.
- Steve Jobs: what else?
- Tim Ferriss: his lifestyle design approach is very inspirational
- Chris Guillebeau: if you want to change the world, start reading his blog.
- Roger Federer: this guy is only 27 years old. 16 grand slams. Just amazing.

There are many more inspiring people out there... I'll try to update that list regularly.

Is this me?

I took a personality test here and here is the result:


You would most enjoy a career that allows you to meet new people. You would also be happiest in a career that allows you to be free and flexible, and allows you to be extremely creative. Some careers that would be perfect for you are:

Stockbroker <== no thanks!!!!
Secretary
Receptionist
Director
Recruitment Consultant
Politician
Marketing
Human Resources Manager
Religious Minister <== no thanks!!!!
Teacher
Lawyer
Advertising
Consultant
Financial Adviser
Financial Planner
GP
Physical Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Public Relations
Estate Agent
Travel Agent
Restauranteur <== no thanks!!!!
Hotel Manager
Events Organiser

You are a great leader. You genuinely enjoy being around other people. Your relationships with others are very important to you. You love talking and meeting new people. You are very enthusiastic about work and about all that you do and have in your life. You love being the focus of attention. You enjoy a fast pace. You are very socially oriented. Therefore, you are much happier being with others than you are alone. You crave interaction with others.

You are very spontaneous and often act before you think. You are always quick to answer when you are asked a question, even if you aren't sure of the answer. It is easier for you to improvise as you go along. You enjoy thinking out loud, and are most creative when brainstorming with friends or colleagues. You enjoy being involved in many activities.

You are very easy to read, and often wear your heart on your sleeve. You are never afraid to tell people what you think. You are very empathetic and genuine. You can sometimes be seen as over-emotional or too involved by others. But that is only because you tend to get so involved in the things you do that they become personal. You want to be adored, loved and appreciated. You like to please others and to make sure people are happy.

You trust your gut instincts. You are easily inspired and trust that inspiration. You are very innovative. You analyse things by looking at the big picture. You are concerned about how what you do affects others. You worry about your actions and the future. You tend to use a lot of metaphors and are very descriptive and colourful in your choice of language.

You are very creative, and get bored easily if you don't get to express yourself. You like to learn new things. You don't like the same old routine. You like to leave your options open.

The power of music

I don't know if this is real or not but watching this made me feel very good. We need more of this. We need more humanity.

Very cool and free web application for photos

I found this pretty cool webapp. It allows you to upload your own photos and blend them with (some) ultra cool environments.

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