AI isn’t just changing the tools marketers use; We’re rebuilding the infrastructure underlying visibility, messaging, and even identity.
This week’s signs point to a media landscape where chatbot traffic converts faster than search, authentic creators can revive legacy brands, messaging platforms are reintegrating, digital presences can outlive their owners, and conversational AI is starting to monetize at scale.
The platform is not static. The question is whether your strategy is keeping up.
Chatbots will rebuild visibility and conversions
Traffic from AI chatbots is starting to look different than traditional search. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said visitors arriving via ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude had higher conversion rates than those coming from Google, indicating that users who rely on AI assistants are often more advanced in their decision-making.
At the same time, Google and Microsoft are reshaping their advertising ecosystems. Google Ads now provides real-world location data in the Where my ads appeared report, giving you visibility into search partners and display networks that were previously opaque.
Microsoft is expanding multi-image shopping ads on Bing and launching a structured learning path that will earn marketers who complete it a Credly-verified badge.
Underlying these updates is a larger infrastructure transition. AI Overview now appears in about 21 percent of searches, with answer engines increasingly pulling from forums, niche publishers, and well-structured tables rather than using the largest domain by default.
Traditional SEO is still important, but answer engine and generation engine optimization are redefining authority. If you want to be cited rather than skipped over with zero-click results, trustworthy site-wide repetition, a clear structure in the first 100 words, and content that cannot be easily replicated by AI are key.
What this means for real estate professionals
Visibility no longer just means ranking #1 on Google. It’s about being cited within AI answers that shape buyer and seller decisions before they click. Brokers and agencies should audit top content, strengthen structure, increase brand mentions across trusted sites, and closely monitor advertising data. Because the platforms that determine reach and conversion are evolving faster than most marketing strategies.
Staples discovers Gen Z momentum in its feed
Staples is being refocused not by a rebrand or a national advertising campaign, but by one employee with a phone.
The TikTok creator known as “Staples Baddie” has amassed millions of views by showcasing the retailer’s lesser-known offerings, from custom mugs and oversized banners to direct mail tools and rewards programs. Combining ASMR walkthroughs, crowdsourced product demos, and tongue-in-cheek commentary, she reimagines Staples as a creative playground rather than an exhausting office supply chain.
Rather than putting a corporate message front and center, content leans toward authenticity and niche culture. Honest breakdowns of junk journaling gear, custom printing hacks, and even services like iPostal1 are presented in a way that feels native to Gen Z.
The result is organic reach that is rarely achieved with traditional campaigns. Struggling traditional retailers suddenly look relevant because someone in the store understands how to translate operations into culture.
What this means for real estate professionals
Attention is no longer solely focused on sophisticated brand campaigns. It could be from one trusted voice who understands your product and platform. Brokers should look beyond scripted marketing and consider how agents, staff, and even clients can showcase behind-the-scenes services, local knowledge, or unexpected value in a way that feels native to the platform. In a fragmented media environment, cultural fluency often exceeds budget.
Meta brings Messenger back to Facebook
Meta plans to shut down messenger.com in April 2026 and fold web-based messaging into Facebook itself. Users will be redirected to facebook.com/messages, but the standalone Messenger desktop app for Windows and Mac, which was discontinued last year, will not return. The mobile Messenger app will remain, even for users without a Facebook account, but the separate web destination will be phased out.
On the surface, this move reduces the number of platforms the meta has to maintain. Strategically, this signals a shift in the company’s long-term messaging roadmap. For years, Meta has outlined plans to integrate Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram Direct into a unified backend infrastructure to enable cross-platform inboxes.
But in recent years, with messaging reintegrated into the main Facebook app and Threads launched with its own DM system, questions have arisen about how committed Meta remains to full integration.
The timing also comes in light of Mehta’s legal victory against the Federal Trade Commission, which sought to force the sale of Instagram and WhatsApp. Some analysts have previously speculated that deeper technology integration could complicate a forced breakup. With that pressure eased, Meta may no longer see a similar need for a tightly fused messaging backend.
What this means for real estate professionals
Even at the largest technology companies, platform strategies can change rapidly. Agencies and intermediaries who rely on Messenger to communicate with clients should ensure their workflows align with Facebook’s main interface and mobile apps, and stay tuned for further changes to the way Meta structures messaging across its ecosystem. Controlling audience access is increasingly being left to platforms rather than publishers.
Mehta’s digital posthumous patent raises new questions
Meta has been awarded a patent that describes how a large-scale language model can simulate a user’s social media activity, effectively creating a digital stand-in when someone is inactive or deceased. The submission, titled “Simulating Users of Social Networking Systems Using Language Models,” outlines how AI can be trained on a person’s past posts, comments, and interactions to generate responses that reflect that person’s voice and actions.
The idea builds on Meta’s long-standing work on digital legacy management. Facebook introduced memorialized accounts in 2009 and later added “legacy contacts” controls. During the Metaverse push, executives openly discussed avatar-based representations of deceased users, an effort reportedly known internally as “Project Lazarus.”
Meta has said it has no plans to make the patent example public, but the filing shows how seriously the company is considering AI continuity.
The rationale goes beyond emotion. The patent addresses how the platform works, including keeping the community engaged and how the advertising system handles accounts that remain technically active. Fake presence allows conversations to continue while raising complex ethical, emotional, and regulatory concerns about consent and trust.
What this means for real estate professionals
Your digital presence doesn’t end when someone stops posting. Questions around data ownership, consent, and brand voice will intensify as platforms experiment with AI-driven continuity. Agencies and brokers need to think carefully about who controls their content archives, how their likenesses and voices will be used on platforms, and what digital legacy planning means in an era when AI can replicate identities as easily as they can curate them.
ChatGPT begins testing ads in feeds
OpenAI has begun testing ads within ChatGPT for logged-in adult users in the Free and Go tiers in the US, but Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education subscriptions will continue to be ad-free. The company says ads are clearly labeled, visually separated from answers, and do not influence answers. Conversations remain private, and advertisers only receive aggregated performance data such as views and clicks.
This test reflects broader monetization changes. As generative AI becomes the infrastructure for learning, shopping, and decision-making, maintaining free access will require significant investment. OpenAI says the ads are intended to support broader access to more advanced features, but it also offers users the option to upgrade or opt out of ads in exchange for a reduction in free usage.
During the trial, ad relevance will be determined by conversation topics and previous interactions, but ads will not appear near sensitive areas such as health, mental health or politics, and will not be shown to users under 18.
The company positions conversational advertising as an entirely new format, where sponsored listings appear during active research and comparison moments. OpenAI says answer independence, privacy protection, and user controls such as the ability to remove advertising data and manage personalization will remain central as the program evolves.
What this means for real estate professionals
As conversational AI becomes an ad-supported discovery layer, it could change the way consumers encounter products and services in moments of high intent. Agencies and intermediaries should monitor how sponsored placements appear in AI interfaces and consider how their brands can participate responsibly. At the same time, you should also pay close attention to how paid visibility and organic responses coexist within the tools that many clients rely on for advice.
TL;DR (too long to read)
Chatbots are sending more purposeful traffic, and AI citations are becoming as important as Google rankings. You need to optimize the structure, repetition, and extractable answers. Just one employee turned Staples into a Gen Z fanatic. Authentic, platform-specific voices are more effective than sophisticated campaigns. Meta brings Messenger back to Facebook. Platform infrastructure can change rapidly, so adjust your communication workflows accordingly. Meta’s digital afterlife patent suggests that AI-generated identities could extend beyond life. Start thinking about content ownership and legacy management today. ChatGPT is testing clearly labeled ads in the free tier. Conversational AI could become a new paid discovery layer alongside natural answers.
Control the detection as the AI answers replace the blue links. Creators outperform corporate campaigns, giving you control over your brand’s narrative. Control of messaging infrastructure with platform integration. Furthermore, AI is blurring the line between existence and permanence, and even control of identity.
Audit where you appear, how you get quoted, who speaks for your brand, and which channels you truly own. Experts who adapt early will not just catch up, they will shape what visibility will look like next.
Every week on Trending, digital marketer Jesse Healy takes a deep dive into what’s trending on social media and why it matters to real estate professionals. From viral trends to platform shifts, she analyzes everything to help you understand what’s worth your time and what’s not.
Jessi Healey is a freelance writer and social media manager specializing in real estate. Find her on Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, or Bluesky.
