RWC kicks off 2026 with AI, compliance and 18% growth surge

Opening the event, head of commercial James Linacre congratulated the national network on what he described as a phenomenal year, revealing the group is up 18 per cent on transaction value year-on-year.

“These are incredibly healthy numbers,” Mr Linacre said. “Everyone in this room should be really proud.”

He acknowledged standout performers across the country and thanked sponsor RealCommercial, noting that RWC now holds a large percentage of national listings on the platform, dominating the marketplace in many regions.

The headline session was delivered by leading real estate AI specialist Samantha McLean, who provided a high-energy and practical exploration of how artificial intelligence is reshaping the commercial property industry.

“I originally started using ChatGPT to help me with my writing. I thought it might be my own little secret,” Ms McLean said. “But I was wise enough to know what was coming.”

Her session featured live demonstrations of AI-generated headshots, with attendees taking selfies that produced both hilarious and impressive results, as well as examples of how empty development sites can be visually transformed into fully realised projects using AI tools. She showcased AI-created songs, humorous videos of pets “talking,” and demonstrated how dramatically AI is changing the way people search for and consume information.

“AI is changing the way we search, and it’s changing rapidly,” she said.

Ms McLean highlighted that AI is already being used in ways that overlap with traditional roles.

“In some cases, AI has sometimes replaced, for better or for worse, doctors, personal trainers, HR professionals, lawyers, recipe books and even vets,” she said.

In a powerful moment during her presentation, she revealed she was recording her session in real time.

“I am recording every word that I’m saying right now,” she told the audience. “Every word will be put into Gemini and a summary will be sent. There’s no need to take notes anymore.”

However, she cautioned that rapid advancements have created what she described as significant “AI noise.”

“The earth is constantly moving with AI. It’s changing at light speed,” she said.

Ms McLean walked attendees through what she described as the five stages of disruption - fear, resistance, gradual adoption, transformation, and ultimately “how did we ever live without this?” - sharing that she personally experienced the fear stage when considering the impact of AI on her Elite Agent writing business.

“We are currently at the gradual adoption stage,” she said. “Only one per cent of commercial real estate agencies have no interest in AI. Most agencies aren’t ignoring it - they’re wrestling with implementation.”

She warned against assuming AI automatically delivers efficiency gains.

“We can fall into the trap of feeling like we’re working faster with AI,” she said. “But studies show it can actually make businesses 19 per cent slower if you’re not getting quality outputs.”

Using examples of automated fast-food drive-throughs gone wrong, she illustrated the risks of removing human oversight.

“The failures happen when there is no human in the loop. AI left to its own devices can be very bad news,” she said, also sharing examples of real estate agencies making costly mistakes by relying solely on AI-generated content without review.

“At the moment, most people are using AI like a freelancer,” she said. “But the real power comes when you use it as a real-time collaborator, for brainstorming, coaching, role-playing and strategy.”

“Last week AI saved me $5,000 by telling me how to set up my SEO instead of paying an agency,” she said.

When assessing a development site on the Gold Coast, she asked Gemini to prepare a 15-page dossier and then generate a personalised podcast briefing.

“You could do this before meeting a potential client; create your own podcast, listen, study and learn everything you need to know,” she said.

Her message to agents was clear: “AI was never meant to be an auto-pilot, it’s meant to be your co-pilot.”

“You don’t want to give up when you’re halfway through your AI journey and not yet fully reaping or understanding the benefits,” she said.

“In the future, you will be AI-enabled and your customer will be AI-enabled,” she said. “But it will still be two humans working together. Use AI to make yourself smarter - but remember, being human in a transaction matters. Humans still want to work with other humans.”

The symposium also addressed the critical issue of Anti-Money Laundering reform, with Shaun Doyle, head of compliance at Ray White, delivering an engaging and practical session on compliance obligations.

“One in four property transactions are being paid for in cash and mortgage-free, which is a statistic the authorities are very interested in,” Mr Doyle said. “Australia is one of the last countries to fully implement these reforms. This is such an important topic, and we are proud to be at the forefront.”

He encouraged every commercial office to begin discussions around appointing a dedicated compliance officer.

“Everyone needs to start having the conversation about who their compliance officer will be,” he said. “This needs to be the go-to person for salespeople to discuss any red flags.”

Mr Doyle said strong compliance frameworks would become a defining feature of leading agencies.

“We want to be known as the absolute leaders in the industry and set the standard,” he said.

He outlined key focus areas including developing internal AML policies, implementing customer due diligence procedures, designing transaction monitoring systems, building reporting processes and establishing robust record-keeping frameworks.

Attendees praised the symposium’s practical focus and forward-thinking agenda.

Kate Blucher, analyst at Ray White Special Projects said the use of AI is now a necessity for doing business in the real estate industry. "Having a training session with someone who knows our industry intimately was a huge advantage. It was great to receive practical strategies that we can utilise immediately to transform the way we work and achieve high-quality output from AI.”

James Hanley, sales executive at Ray White Special Projects, found most value in the compliance content. “I felt it was an important session in better understanding imminent changes to our obligations as agents to adhere to the new anti-money laundering legislation. The AI session really added to our arsenal of tools in maximising day-to-day efficiencies," he said.