Real estate AI is faking fireplaces to fool renters
ny brokers are using tools like chatgpt to 'virtually stage' listings with features that don't exist, forcing tenants to waste time vetting deceptive photos.
real estate agents are using generative ai tools to 'virtually stage' apartments, adding unrealistic features like six-seater tables in studios or non-existent fireplaces to listing photos. unlike traditional staging, which suggests potential, ai editing fabricates reality, leading to situations where new york renters show up for viewings only to find missing appliances and smaller spaces. while agents argue it helps clients visualize potential, the lack of regulation creates a 'cat and mouse game' for tenants and raises concerns about fraud. realtors warn that misleading labeling of these digitally altered images as simply 'digitally altered' rather than 'ai-generated' is a lawsuit waiting to happen.