Artificial intelligence or AI has blown up as it entered the scene in 2022. AI can do almost anything these days, including generating a headshot. So do AI headshots devalue traditional, professional headshots?

Absolutely not.

In fact, I’d argue, that it’s more important than ever to have a real photo of yourself.

Authenticity cannot be fabricated.

I think that AI headshots are a fun experiment, but they should not be used in a professional capacity and I’ll explain why in this post.

AI Headshots are not a replacement for a real headshot

Do I think AI Headshots are fun? Yes, I think that it’s something fun to experiment with.

Do I think that an AI headshot should replace your real headshot? Absolutely not.

I understand the desire to have an easy solution to getting a new headshot. It’s uncomfortable getting in front of the camera, preparing outfits, and making yourself presentable. However, at the end of the day, people do business with other people; not with artificial representations of themselves.

AI Headshots are not the same as a professional headshot

Listen, I’m not just saying this because I’m a professional photographer. I’m saying this because I don’t think that you should catfish your clients.

I believe it’s so important to have a current, authentic representation of who you are.

As the name suggests, AI is just that: artificial.

Recently, I was at a coworking space and on the wall, they had headshots and photos of the people and companies that office from there.

I could spot which headshots were generated by AI. Easily.

I thought to myself: I wish I knew what this person actually looked like. I wish they took the time to take an actual photo.

I’d even argue that a good iPhone or smartphone photo of yourself is BETTER than an AI Headshot.

Don’t even get me started on AI’s inability to accurately generate hands or fingers.

Have you seen some of those horror shows?!

Why You Should Still Get a Professional Headshot

So, yes, as a professional photographer, I’m going to argue that you should spend some money on a professional and get yourself a real headshot.

Your headshot is your first impression – whether it’s on LinkedIn, your website, your social media platform, or even on a dating app.

Why would you want to give someone an artificial first impression?

As someone who really values authenticity and being real, I just can’t wrap my head around trying to pass off an AI generated photo as real.

Because it’s not real.

I believe that it shows that you undervalue who you are. It suggests that you’re okay with a cheap, artificial representation of who you are.

And before you get up in arms, do I still think that AI headshots are fun? Yes, sure.

Do I think they should be used to represent you in a professional capacity? No. Never. Please don’t.

Authenticity Matters Even More in a World with Artificial Intelligence

Now that ChatGPT has been available to the public for more than a year, we see it’s power.

At the same time, ChatGPT is still artificial intelligence. It’s a machine. It’s learning from other similar things and piecing together an answer to the prompt you give it.

Listen, I’m a big fan of ChatGPT – I use it often to brainstorm some ideas or to format things or to create a summary of a long article.

However, I’ve seen one too many social media captions and sales pages that are CLEARLY written by AI without a human touch. It sounds like a robot wrote it.

As AI grows and develops and advances (because it’s here to stay, that’s clear) it’s going to matter more and more for authentic, real, human interactions to take place.

All I’m saying is, if you’re using an AI headshot, say that it was generated by artificial intelligence.

Don’t try to pretend that it’s actually you. You’re not a cartoon (which a lot of these AI photos look like)

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READY TO BOOK YOUR HEADSHOTS OR PERSONAL BRANDING PHOTOS?

If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur in the North Dallas area, including Frisco, McKinney, Prosper, Celina, Plano, Little Elm, and more – and you’re looking for a branding shoot with a photographer with a proven planning process in place, I’m ready to chat!

Step 1. Get in Touch – click and contact today

Step 2. Discovery Call – we’ll chat about your business and your vision for brand photos

Step 3. Book your Shoot – if we’re a “match” let’s get you on the schedule and start planning