Real estate agents edition
The media are agreeing on when AI images need a label, and Funda's AI styling tool is already under close scrutiny. Also: a deadly mistake caused by too much trust in AI, and a valuer who now mainly assesses rather than enters.
Media companies set out when AI images need a label
NPO, DPG Media, Mediahuis and Talpa are drawing up joint rules for AI in images, audio and video. For your property photos, this shows where things are heading.
The Dutch and Belgian media sector is drawing up joint guidelines on transparency around AI use in images, audio and video. Behind this initiative are NPO, DPG Media, Mediahuis and Talpa, working through Media Campus NL and the AI and Media core group. The reason is the European AI Act, which requires media organisations to make clear when AI has been used in content. The guidelines come with a decision tree and practical explanation, available at mediacampus.nl/AItransparantie. For you, this is not a law. But it is the first time a whole sector has written down when an AI edit needs a label and when it does not. That is exactly the question with property photos: a colour correction is not the same as a virtually furnished living room. Have a look at the decision tree and compare it with your own photo editing. The decision tree works through a series of questions: is the image made entirely by AI, or is a real photo edited? Does the edit change what the viewer takes to be reality, or just how tidy it looks? The first usually needs a label, the second usually does not. Virtually furnishing an empty room changes what a buyer thinks they are seeing, so it needs explaining. Removing dust from a sensor does not. The line is not about the tool, it is about what the buyer takes from it. An impression can show atmosphere, but hiding a flaw or suggesting a renovation is misleading. The reverse also carries risk: labelling something unnecessarily makes your listing look suspicious. Also keep in mind that media guidelines do not replace the placement rules of the site where you advertise. Those can be stricter.
Background for subscribersMedia companies are now setting out when AI images need a label, while Funda is taking a closer look at AI-edited property photos itself. For you, this means: judge every edit by what it changes about what the buyer sees, not by which tool you used. A virtual furnishing needs explaining, a colour correction usually doesn't. Agree with your photographer on what is and isn't allowed, and be clear at viewings when an image was just an impression.
Funda's AI styling tool sits in the priciest package, and criticism is growing
In mid-September, Funda launched a revamped site with paid advertising packages: bronze, silver and gold. The gold package includes an AI tool that lets visitors virtually restyle a home in different interior styles. A paid package gets you a more prominent spot in search results, bigger ads and more photos. For NVM estate agents, this means higher rates: the gold package costs around 536 euros. Nineteen regional and local NVM branches have now joined the criticism of that pricing system. The basic listing stays free, but standing out now costs much more than before. That affects your marketing budget and your competitive position. Work out what the gold package costs per home sold, and whether the AI styling is worth that difference. The tool lets the visitor switch the styling themselves: they see the same room in different styles. So it's not you who decides which image a buyer sees, it's the visitor. Your listing photo remains the only one you can vouch for. First think commercially: are you paying for visibility or for the tool, and what does that get you? Then think carefully: if a buyer expects a different interior at the viewing, you need to be able to explain that difference. Mention at the viewing that the styled view is just an impression.
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