The Creepy AI Glitch That Exposed a Big Problem in Real Estate Listings

The ‘demon’ serves as a reminder of the critical errors AI can make.

BY AVA LEVINSON, NEWS WRITER

(Photo via Getty Images)

Working professionals are increasingly using artificial intelligence to enhance their work. But done incorrectly, it can have the opposite—sometimes even a scary—effect.

It’s the case for one real estate listing for a property in Washington, D.C., where the realtor was clearly pressed for time. Interested buyers were horrified when they noticed a terrifying creature poking out of the mirror in an image of a bathroom.

One person on Reddit compared it to their “sleep paralysis demon.” 

“Genuinely the worst possible thing to scroll past before I fall asleep,” someone wrote. “That thing somehow struck raw primal fear in me at an unparalleled record high.”

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“Usually I laugh at poorly generated AI images, but this one is touching some nerve that’s making my heart race and I feel incredibly uneasy,” said another Redditor.

Others were baffled that the person hitting publish didn’t notice the creature.

According to The Atlantic, 70 percent of realtors admit to using AI. 

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