NSW Government's AI Real Estate Crackdown Stumbles Over a $5,000 Bondi Mural
Published · curated by AI Is Going Just Great
Source: theguardian.com ↗
"What's so embarrassing is we didn't even realise one of the first houses we saw was AI until we rocked up there."
The New South Wales government announced new laws against AI-doctored rental listings on Friday, and to illustrate the problem, linked to a supposedly manipulated ad showing a Sydney apartment with an unlikely view of Bondi Beach. The listing was genuine: the "view" is a $5,000 commissioned mural of Bondi painted on an internal courtyard wall, confirmed still in place by the agency IB Property, which stated the image had not been "altered or digitally generated using AI, Photoshop or any other image-editing software."
The laws themselves address a real issue. Under the legislation, NSW real estate businesses face fines of up to $22,000 for failing to disclose AI-generated or digitally altered property images, targeting practices like removing walls, adding nonexistent landscaping, or staging rooms to misrepresent scale. The regulations take effect in early 2027. Better regulation minister Anoulack Chanthivong did not respond directly to questions about the mural, instead reissuing a statement about standing "on the side of renters."