AI-enabled customer interaction, delivered through recommendation systems, chatbots and virtual assistants, is increasingly used by housing and real-estate platforms to engage prospective buyers. Housing is a high-value, high-involvement purchase in which trust and accurate information matter, yet evidence on how AI-enabled interaction relates to buying intention in an Indian metropolitan market such as Bangalore remains limited. This study examines the adoption and usage of AI-enabled customer interaction tools among prospective housing buyers, their impact on and relationship with buying intention, and the challenges buyers report. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted with a structured five-point Likert questionnaire, and 214 valid responses collected between 19 and 25 August 2026 were analysed with IBM SPSS Statistics and jamovi using descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha, one-sample t tests, multiple linear regression, and Pearson and Spearman correlation. Adoption was moderate-to-high (item means 3.26–3.48; composite = 3.373; α = .849). AI-enabled interaction was significantly and positively correlated with buying intention (Pearson r = .337; Spearman ρ = .349; p < .001). A regression of the five AI items on the outcome was significant but explained a modest share of variance (R² = .056; F(5, 208) = 2.490; p = .032), and no individual item was a significant unique predictor. The most prominent challenges were a preference for human interaction at final negotiation (M = 3.36) and technical issues (M = 3.27); the challenge scale was reliable (α = .792). Three of four hypotheses were supported and one was partly supported. The study extends AI-marketing research to the housing context and supports a hybrid AI-plus-human approach: AI for search and first enquiries, human contact for negotiation, and reliable technology throughout. Because the design is cross-sectional, the findings describe association rather than causation.

KEYWORDS: AI-enabled customer interaction, Chatbots, Recommendation systems, Buying intention, Housing properties, Real estate, Bangalore.