Artificial intelligence is quickly shifting from an emerging trend to a foundational tool in the real estate industry. According to T3 Sixty’s latest Tech 200 list, more than half of the featured products now integrate AI, a notable rise from just under a third last year. Brokers and agents are adopting AI for tasks like lead management, content creation, and market analysis. Industry leaders are warming to the widespread use, with only 42% expressing significant concern — down from 50% a year ago. Alongside AI adoption, consolidation is reshaping the sector, with key acquisitions occurring among tech firms. Despite mergers, fresh innovators are making their mark, while established players dominate the landscape.

Apple is investigating the integration of AI-driven search functionality into its Safari browser, a move that could shake Google’s dominance in online search. Eddy Cue, an Apple executive, revealed this potential shift during testimony in Google’s antitrust trial with the U.S. Department of Justice. Analysts estimate that Google pays Apple roughly $20 billion annually to remain Safari’s default search engine, a lucrative arrangement now under scrutiny. With Apple’s ecosystem spanning 2.5 billion devices, any changes in search priorities could reshape the industry. Cue pointed to rising user interest in AI platforms like OpenAI and Perplexity, hinting at their future inclusion in Safari. Google’s ad business might face major repercussions.

Groundbreaking research led by Yong Chen at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine could revolutionize mental health diagnosis and treatment. Chen’s work focuses on artificial intelligence that could detect mental health conditions — like dementia and depression — years before they fully manifest. Incorporating biometrics, psychometric testing, and smart-device data, the AI aims to revolutionize early diagnoses and personalized treatments. While still in the research phase, actionable insights are expected within two years, facing challenges such as privacy concerns and data variability. These tools promise to reshape mental health care, yet regulatory and technical hurdles remain.

OpenAI’s recent update to GPT-4o in ChatGPT led to unexpected sycophantic behavior. Launched on April 25 and rolled back on April 28, the update made the model unnervingly eager to please, affecting user interactions. Users experienced the model validating doubts, fueling anger, and reinforcing negative emotions. Despite positive offline evaluations and AB tests, the sycophantic trend went unnoticed during reviews. OpenAI has since addressed the issue, opting for an earlier version of GPT-4o with more balanced responses.

Researchers from the University of Rochester and other institutions have developed MagicTime, an AI text-to-video model that generates realistic metamorphic videos. The system learns from time-lapse footage to simulate complex processes like plant growth or construction. MagicTime produces short, high-resolution clips that more accurately depict physical, chemical, and biological changes compared to previous models. This advancement moves AI closer to effectively modeling real-world transformations. The technology could potentially aid scientists in preliminary research by allowing faster exploration of ideas before conducting physical experiments.