This AI-Enhanced Real Estate Photo Shows Why Homebuyers Can’t Trust Every Listing
Artificial intelligence (AI) has made some major technological advances recently. In fact, a lot of people complain and worry about the way AI seems to improve every day, making it hard for some people to tell the difference between what is real and what has been generated.
Many others have different concerns about AI, including the way it uses the planet’s finite resources, prompting concerns about water usage and pollution. However, that hasn’t stopped people from embracing the technology.
AI has been folded into many facets of people’s everyday lives, both at home and professionally. That includes a real estate agent by the name of Lawton Fulford, who goes by @lawton.fulford on TikTok. And in a recent video, he showed off a way that people in his industry are using AI.
The comments were immediately flooded by angry folks who said that what Fulford did should be illegal, proving the point he was trying to make about how these days you need to do more than look at a listing in order to see what a house looks like.
A Real Estate Agent Showed How AI Is Used for Listings
@lawton.fulford Unfortunately this is a common occurrence now days… it’s why I still host open houses, there’s nothing that compares to actually getting inside the home. PICTURES DON’T CUT IT 🤯😂 #funny #realestate #staging #fake ♬ original sound – lawton.fulford
In the video, Fulford pulled up photos from a fictitious real estate listing that he was using as an example. “These pictures came out okay,” he said while looking at one of the empty backyards. “Yeah, that’s probably not going to work. Do your thing, AI.”
When he looked back at the picture again, the small, bare space had been updated and expanded, and included an in-ground pool as well as a stunning deck and patio.
“Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence nowadays … it’s why I still host open houses,” he captioned the video, adding that pictures just don’t cut it.
People Shared Their Frustrations in the Comments
It didn’t take long before people filled the comments with their own gripes about this use of AI. “AI on property listings should be illegal,” one person wrote. “How is that not false advertising?”
“It’s such a waste of time for literally everyone involved because once u see the real house, you’re no longer interested,” another person added.
“As soon as I see virtual staging, I exit. It’s getting ridiculous here,” a third person said.
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the group’s code of ethics prohibits Realtors from using AI photos that feature incorrect or fabricated details of the house in the listing without careful disclosure. Even then, the group says it’s risky.
