The Autopilot Appraisal Blueprint
Jul 29, 2026
Some crashes occur because pilots trust the autopilot too much.
I want to share an analogy that brings to light what I mean when I say that in the near future, appraisals will take about 30 minutes. When I first made this prediction, I got a lot of criticism. People thought I was predicting the demise of our industry. I am not. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
I had a demonstration of some new technology being developed for appraisers that is nothing shy of mind-blowing. It is amazing what AI can do, and it is fascinating and scary at the same time. My goal is always to help you understand how we can harness this change to make our lives better.
The Flight Plan and Inputs
I recently called up my friend Ray, who is a pilot, to make sure I understood exactly how autopilot works. Autopilot uses various data inputs like GPS, gyroscopes, and air speed indicators. It takes those indicators and adjusts the physical controls to keep the plane afloat and moving in the right direction.
Think of the initial flight plan as our scope of work. In modern aviation, autopilot handles the ascent, speed, and direction, and it can even land the plane. However, the pilot still handles the taxiing and the takeoff.
The Autopilot Appraisal Analogy
This is exactly where the appraisal world is going. In the future, property observation will likely be done by a data collector, a drone, or even the homeowner with a smartphone. The data is out there, and big data is not our enemy.
For our analogy, autopilot equals artificial intelligence. AI can bring in market data, choose your comps, make your adjustments, and understand market trends. But the reconciliation and final value estimate? That is still the pilot. That is still the appraiser bringing it home to make sure you land at the right airport and park at the right gate.
The Future Appraiser
Ultimately, the pilot is responsible for the safety of the passengers, and the appraiser is responsible for the accuracy of the appraisal and protecting the public trust. That is not changing.
Some crashes happen because pilots trust the autopilot too much. Don't trust the black box blindly. AI is not taking over your job; it is allowing you to do your job better. There will be a need for fewer appraisers in the future, but a need for better appraisers. Your time spent typing the report will be much less, but your importance as a living, breathing, licensed professional will be higher than ever. You are the captain of the ship.
Check out The Appraiser Coach Podcast for more info on this topic:
