Detroit listing prompts debate over AI-enhanced home photos

A bungalow that appears dramatically improved in AI-generated listing photos has reignited questions about trust, disclosure and the role of artificial intelligence in real estate marketing. In a viral social media post last fall, a renter compared an AI-enhanced image of a Dexter-Linwood bungalow with what the home actually looks like in person, drawing millions of views and prompting reactions from neighbors, buyers and realtors. “It’s beautiful, but it’s AI,” said Jasmine Jackson, a Detroit resident. “It looks fake. It looks like a painting.” Local real estate agents say the technology is everywhere in the industry now — from virtual staging and property descriptions to lead generation and even contract drafting — and that raises ethical and regulatory questions.