A recent piece in The Atlantic argues that AI-generated real estate imagery, the kind that puts furniture into an empty living room, can feel misleading or disappointing to prospective buyers. It's an interesting story with a fair kernel of "huh, that's human psychology" truth to it. But let's unpack it... and have a little fun doing so.
The Atlantic Calls It "Slop"; We Call It "Visual Thinking"
Yes, some AI-generated photos can feel off. If your buyer walks into an empty house expecting a Pottery Barn showroom and instead sees... reality (that's on you, not the kitchen cabinets), they might feel disoriented. It's like swiping right on a profile pic that was clearly touched up with 20 layers of filter. You weren't expecting that guy in grayscale lighting, stuffy shirt, and zero personality.
That said, AI isn't trying to trick anyone. It's trying to help humans visualize outcomes. The problem isn't that AI generates images at all: it's that humans are very bad at imagining spaces on their own. We've always used visual tools to help people see possibilities: physical staging, architectural sketches, those fancy wide-angle lenses that make a 10-foot living room look like a ballroom.
AI just puts another toolkit into the hands of people who struggle with spatial imagination, and deserves more credit for that than slop-bashing.
If AI Is "Slop," So Is Every Glossy Listing Photo Ever
Let's be real: real estate marketing has always been a bit of a visual fairy tale.
- Realtors use wide-angle lenses to make a closet look spacious.
- Agents bake cookies on staging day to create "homey vibes."
- Half-filled closets and carefully placed throw pillows are everywhere.
AI just did what humans have always done: mess with perception to highlight potential. The Atlantic article hints at this, even as it seems surprised that people expect reality to perfectly match imagination.
At Bounti, we see AI imagery as the modern equivalent of staging: without the lifting, hauling, and air-freshener.
The Real Risk Isn't Deception: It's Unmet Expectations
Here's the heart of it: when technology raises expectations, and reality doesn't match, people feel let down, not because they were tricked, but because their brains are wired to feel things before they can articulate why. That's psychology 101.
The Atlantic article quotes an agent who saw buyers recoil when the physical space didn't reflect the AI images. But notice what she didn't say: she didn't say the images were inaccurate in a technical sense. She said buyers were "disappointed" and couldn't explain why. That's exactly the moment where the image becomes a tool for emotional engagement, not deception.
The economics of staging have shifted greatly. A recent WSJ article talks about how the buying transaction is shifting greatly towards the buyers vs sellers. Therefore, there is less monetary incentive (back to the economics, again) for the seller to pay for staging. So what should agents do?
Our job, and frankly, the job of every tech company trying to embed AI into real workflows, is not to banish visual imagination, but to manage expectations so buyers and agents are on the same page.
Better Tools, Clearer Context
AI should empower better conversations, not replace them. Imagine an agent on a walk-through saying:
"Here's what it looks like empty today. Here's also what a cozy living room might look like with natural light and space tailored to your style."
That's not deception: that's context. That's helping someone think with their eyes instead of struggling with their imagination.
And if AI can take stairs you didn't have time to stage, rugs you don't own, and furniture you can't borrow... and turn them into something that gets someone to commit to a tour? That's not slop: that's speed and clarity.
So What's the Real Takeaway?
AI-generated imagery doesn't make real estate surreal; it exposes a truth we've always known:
Humans don't imagine well. They react to what they see.
If AI can help:
- Renters visualize a space they'd never imagined
- Buyers see the potential beyond empty rooms
- Sellers preview possibilities before spending on physical staging
...then it's not slop. It's a new visual vocabulary for a very visual industry.
And let's be honest: if agents want to complain about AI manipulating space... they should probably first explain why a strategically placed throw pillow in a traditional staging setup is any less "manipulative." Reality has always been negotiable in real estate. AI just made that negotiation faster and more accessible.
So next time someone calls AI visuals "slop," remember: it's just the latest chapter in a long story where humans try to help other humans see the future. And on the Bounti team, we think that's something worth publishing... with a smile.