AI HeadshotS

Before we start, a warning… I’m going to get vulnerable here.

AI headshots are quickly replacing headshot photographers around the world. It’s an interesting feeling to feel like a failure but by no fault of your own, just because now, a computer can do the skill you’ve devoted your life to learning and perfecting for two decades.

So with that context, I find it important to understand, my statements below come from a bias’s lens.

AI headshots are all the rage. There’s a huge advantage to be able to generate a professional headshot out of thin air while laying on your couch and only paying $50 for 25 versions of professional headshots. No traveling to a shoot, no hair and makeup, no half a day lost to the whole process. The benefits of generating AI headshots is not lost on me!

But, here are some things to consider before getting an AI headshot done.

1. AI generated headshots are not legally regulated in the US. They’re usually run by companies overseas and your facial scans are saved on servers in an unknown country with no legal framework. You have no rights to those photos once you upload them to the company.
2. What happens if AI cracks the ability to use your face scans to virtually unlock your phone? How many sensitive apps have you allowed this sort of biometric data to in order to easily and swiftly login? Or, what happens if your facial scans are stolen by a hacker on the dark web? Could they (hypothetically) add your facial data to the Most Wanted or flight watch list? Rendering your digital identity to be one of a criminal? Even though you’ve never even jay walked? Again, this may not be feasible now, but in the future - who knows.
3. AI headshots are soul-less. While they might look perfectly coifed, without a single stray hair, they lack the overall expression needed to actually connect the viewer with the person photographed. This is the most important objective of getting a headshot in the first place. If your headshot looks lifeless, plastic and has zero emotion, you’ve lost your audience’s attention before you’ve even begun the race.
4. Looking for a new job? Consider the sub-context of using a fake photo of yourself. If a hiring manager has the choice between someone with an authentic headshot, and someone with one that looks fake, they might think “what else is this person lying about or embellishing on their resume?”

I ask every client I work with, why did you choose an actual shoot over a headshot generated by AI and while answers range from privacy concerns to looking “off.” The overarching response is that they are lifeless and cold.

I know this won’t always be the case. AI is improving FAST! While I definitely don’t think AI headshots should be banned, I think they should be labeled. The onus is on companies like LinkedIn to keep digital identities as transparent as possible in this age of cat-fishing and scam influencer impersonators. FWIW, I doubt LinkedIn would ever consider my suggestion, but we should all work together to keep our digital world as authentic as possible especially when it comes to professional work identities.