Renters and home buyers are seeing AI-‘enhanced’ property photos. Now NSW is changing the rules
Renters and homebuyers have been turning up to properties to find a very different reality from the ads. There’s even a name for it: ‘housefishing’.
Property listings in New South Wales are set to change as the state moves to require real estate agents to disclose when images in rental advertisements have been digitally altered using artificial intelligence. This change, which will take effect in 2027, aims to protect consumers from being misled by AI-enhanced property photos.
The new rule follows concerns about the practice, dubbed "housefishing," where agents use AI to brighten rooms, add furniture, improve gardens, remove undesirable elements, and even create non-existent features. While disclosure sounds like a sensible solution, it raises questions about whether it will truly improve consumer protection.
Research suggests that merely informing consumers that an image has been altered does not guarantee they can understand or process the information, potentially leading to decreased engagement or even increased trust in the advertisement. Moreover, there's a crucial distinction between disclosing how an image was produced and what changes have been made.
The latter provides more relevant information for consumers to make informed decisions. The effectiveness of disclosure in other industries like insurance, financial services, and telecommunications has been debated, with researchers concluding that information alone is not enough to ensure better decision-making. Instead of placing the burden on consumers to identify and interpret misleading information, the focus should be on enforcing existing consumer protection measures.
While disclosure may seem empowering, it ultimately shifts responsibility onto consumers to regulate themselves, which is an unrealistic expectation. Ultimately, the goal should be to protect consumers from misleading advertising, regardless of how the images are produced.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
