In the UK alone, there are 21,641 estate agents – all of whom are paid salaries ranging from £14,000 to £60,000 per year. As the world begins to once again open up, estate agents across the globe are once again out in force but, maybe not for long. As businesses look for new ways to cut costs, many people feel that there may be a new real estate kid on the block – the robot. Real estate agents are also often required to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the local area in order to inform potential buyers about important aspects of the region including schools, transport and nightlife. If you've ever viewed a property to either buy or rent, you'll no doubt have been shown around the place by a real life, human estate agent – but all of that may be about to change.

The head of the longest-established agency personnel consultancy in the UK says caution should be exercised over the use of Artificial Intelligence in recruitment processes. Property Personnel managing director Anthony Hesse thinks that estate agency should never forget that it is primarily a people business, and technology would have stark weaknesses identifying the right person for the job. "At its heart, estate agency is and has always been about people. We may deal in property, but it is people who are doing the buying and selling. And we are at risk of missing out on some of our best potential recruits if we forget that" explains Hesse. "Artificial Intelligence is all very well; but I seriously doubt that technology will be able to identify some of the subtle factors which only come to light in a one on one relationship between two human beings.