4. Artificial Intelligence

AU/NZ: Anthropic opens pandora’s box, releases ‘Fable 5’

👓 1 minute read

Anthropic just released Claude Fable 5, opening its top Mythos tier to the public for the first time - with a new set of guardrails compared to the original Mythos Preview. Previous issues of Network News have discussed the potentially catastrophic cybersecurity risks of the Mythos tool, on which Fable 5 is based.

UPDATE: Launched only on Tuesday, by Friday, the US Government suspended access to Fable 5 citing national security concerns. The government believes it has become aware of a method of bypassing, or 'jailbreaking' Fable 5. Anthropic says it hopes to restore access for users worldwide soon.

Fable 5 is state of the art when it comes to AI capabilities; just restricted on topics like cybersecurity, biology and chemistry. Anthropic fears the chemical weapons implications.

We’re giving Fable 5 a try, to see if - like the rest of the AI world - we agree that it is ‘the best model in the world’. So far, it's incredibly impressive but does it top all the learning that ChatGPT has done in recent years?

AU/NZ: If it isn’t real, it doesn’t belong in the listing

👓 2 minute read

You may have seen the recent coverage. A Brisbane listing led with a hero image of a pristine home behind a white picket fence. The real property had a chain-link fence and different paintwork.

Another listing showed horses grazing in a backyard that was, in fact, empty grass.

A third advertised a spacious lounge that could barely hold its own sofas.

All AI-generated. All published. All now in the headlines, with buyers calling the conduct 'disgusting'.

Let's be plain: this is unacceptable, and it will never be how First National does business.

The law is not ambiguous. Property advertising cannot be misleading or deceptive - and that test covers the words, the images and the overall impression a buyer takes away. A disclaimer buried beneath a fabricated hero image does not fix a false impression. If a buyer can stand in the room and feel deceived, the marketing has failed - legally and ethically.

The deeper cost is trust. Consumer advocates are now telling buyers to approach every listing with scepticism. Every misleading image, from any brand, erodes the foundation our entire industry stands on. We will not contribute to that.

So here is the standard, and it is simple:

Public listings show the property as it actually exists
Improving skies is permissible, but never views
Any altered or AI-generated image, anywhere, is clearly labelled
AI visualisations of potential - staging ideas, renovation concepts - belong in private conversations with clients, never in advertising

Every office is once again asked to now implement the First National AI policy and walk the whole team through it. It takes one meeting. Please make it this week's.

We sell real homes to real people. Our marketing should look like it.

Remember, the network's new positioning statement, which replaces 'We put you first' – Trusted advice. Genuine care. Real results.