Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used not only for creative purposes, but also for fraudulent purposes, sometimes with great conviction. Another example was the story of a woman who booked an apartment in New York through Airbnb and almost lost $9,000 due to fake damage images.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used not only for creative purposes, but also for fraudulent purposes, sometimes with great conviction. Another example was the story of a woman who booked an apartment in New York through Airbnb and almost lost $9,000 due to fake damage images.
According to Techspot, a London resident rented an apartment in Manhattan for 2.5 months. But because she felt unsafe in the area, she decided to leave early. Shortly after her departure, the landlord, who had the status of a «superhost», reported 12,000 pounds ($9,041) in property damage. Among other things, he indicated a cracked coffee table, a dirty mattress, a broken vacuum cleaner, a microwave, an air conditioner and other things.
The woman denied the charges and provided a photo of the crack on the table looking different, which could indicate image manipulation. According to her, these were artificially generated images, likely created using AI.
Airbnb initially supported the host and ordered the woman to pay 5,314 pounds ($7,053). Only after the intervention of Guardian journalists did the company accept her appeal, return 500 pounds, and after she refused to use the platform, reimburse the full cost of the stay and remove the negative review.
The incident has sparked outrage, with the user concerned that other renters may not have the resources to challenge such false accusations. AI is already being used extensively to falsify photos in insurance claims, including car and home damage reports. Now, the threat has spread to rental services.
Airbnb said it was unable to verify the authenticity of the evidence provided by the host and warned him of possible account suspension if he violated the rules again. The company also launched an internal review of how the case was handled.
Recall that we also recently published an article about how a former Google engineer stated that the probability of humanity’s extinction due to artificial intelligence (AI) is «at least 95%» if it continues on its current path.
