How London is using AI to crack down on short-term rental scofflaws [Video]

Short-term rental landlords have paid $85,000 in fines in the last two years, caught largely using an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that scrapes Internet data and compares it to locally-held records. 

London has 268 active, licenced short-term-rental listings, largely on platforms such as AirBnB and Vrbo. Another 28 applications for licences are pending, officials say. The AI program has been used since October 2022, when restrictions on short-term rentals went into effect in the city. 

“The program scans over 60 of the world’s largest short-term accommodation websites, extracting relevant information to narrow down addresses and owner matches,” said Nicole Musicco, the city manager in charge of the program. 

“If the program recognizes that one owner has multiple properties, for example, then an enforcement letter is generated through the system and sent to the owners telling them they are not permitted to have more than one short-term accommodation in the city. …