AI in Real Estate Photos: What’s Fair Enhancement vs. Misleading Illusion?

I’ve been a real estate agent in Chicago for over 40 years, and during that time, technology has continuously evolved. There have always been little “crutches” to make a property look more appealing to potential buyers and to capture their attention to get them to a showing. Where photos used to be retouched by hand, and later with Photoshop, today, new technology can create even more visual illusions.

But the key question remains unchanged:

Is the listing a truthful representation of the property?

When we use AI to remove a giant toy castle and family photos from the living room, replacing them with abstract art, or swap out a shabby coffee maker on the kitchen counter for a virtual basket of shiny green apples, we’re not altering the actual essence of the home. We’re not lying – those apples could just as easily be there if we sent an assistant to buy them at the market and set them on the counter.

Here are the ethical and practical principles we follow on behalf of both sellers and buyers:

• For sellers: We use digital tools often and enthusiastically, but always with the goal of highlighting features that actually exist in the home – never to create the illusion of something that isn’t there.

• For buyers: I have the advantage of having seen most of these properties in person over the years, so I can point out when that “breathtaking view” of the Sears Tower from a bathroom window is a digital trick. In reality, the building’s bathrooms face an interior courtyard, with nothing more than a blank wall outside.

• For all clients: A good real estate agent sets realistic expectations to protect clients from disappointment. Buyers need to understand that nearly all photographs (and soon most videos) are digitally enhanced in some way, so they don’t chase after illusions.

Even though AI is changing almost everything in our world, one thing hasn’t changed: a real estate agent must be a trustworthy professional. In fact, the rise of digital enhancements only proves how essential agents are in the process – buyers and sellers need someone who can cut through the illusions, set realistic expectations, and guide them with honesty.