Should Massachusetts adapt a law to that informs the public when agents digitally alter photos?

Boston Condos for Sale and Apartments for Rent

Should Massachusetts adapt a law to that informs the public when agents digitally alter photos?

California’s Assembly Bill 723, which will take effect on January 1st, 2026, obligates real estate agents to inform the public that photos have been changed digitally and also provide an unedited edition or a link to the original picture.

This article talks about the issue – an excerpt:

“Why would I send my photos of an empty room to a virtual stager, have them spend four days and send it back to me at a charge of 500 bucks when I can just do it in ChatGPT for free in 45 seconds?” asks Jason Haber, a licensed realtor and cofounder of the American Real Estate Association. “We’ve done virtual renderings for 20 years, so the fact that you can just do it now on AI, there was a whole cottage industry of virtual renderings and those people are now looking for a new job.”

In his position leading an association with over 22,000 members, Haber stresses that real estate professionals must disclose the use of AI, just like virtual staging has been disclosed in the past. Deceptive real estate practices can lead to fines and lawsuits, and the National Association of Realtors has advised realtors that the legal territory around using AI-generated images is still “murky.” The organization’s code of ethics prohibits using misleading images.

Haber said there are telltale signs of an “epidemic” of lazy AI use in the industry that outsiders may not be able to spot. Specifically, Haber says that ChatGPT “almost always” inserts the word “nestled” into copy it generates for real estate listings. The phrases “nestled in a prime location,” “nestled in the heart of the city,” and “nestled between two other homes” can be evidence of agents copying and pasting directly from the AI chatbot, he wrote on Instagram.

Haber says while he embraces technology, it’s not an excuse to “check your brain at the door.”

“If you become just a toll taker, you’re not a really good agent. You have no differentiation, you’re not creative, you’re just another agent,” Haber says.

My thoughts

I’m all for Mass. adapting a law that informs the public when a photo has been AI altered for Boston condos for sale.

Read full article here:

https://www.wired.com/story/real-estate-is-entering-its-ai-slop-era/