Clients love it when I use AI – until they find out it's AI

Photo of a woman edited with AI tools in Photoshop for smooth skin.

I recently photographed an older lady and demonstrated to her how I could use FaceApp to alter and beautify her features. She was stunned and gratified by her improved appearance, saying in a surprised tone, 'I look fantastic!'

'Oh yes,' I chuckled. 'You'd be amazed by what you can do with AI these days.'

Suddenly her face darkened. 'Oh, it's AI? I don't want you to use AI to edit my photos!'

I frowned. I wanted to ask her: "What exactly do you think AI is? Do you realise Photoshop has incorporated AI tools for nearly a decade now? Do you really think these are likely to lead to the death of humanity as we know it?"

Another photo edited with the assistance of Photoshop's AI tools. (Image credit: Ariane Sherine)

But, not wanting to lose the commission, I told her I wouldn't use AI to alter her features – "I'll do it manually in Photoshop."

She still wanted me to erase her wrinkles, though, so, ironically, I had to use Photoshop's AI remove tool in order to do that, because the clone tool just isn't as quick or effective.

She's not the only person to have objected to my use of AI: potential clients often say, 'I like your photos' and then ask if I use artificial intelligence to create them. When I say yes, they walk away or I never hear back.

Basically, clients want all the results of AI, but they don't want you to employ it when editing their photos, so they can feel less guilty. I'm not sure if their opposition to artificial intelligence is based on a dislike of the results not being entirely human-made or a fear that robots will take over the world and keep us as their slaves, but it leaves photographers in an impossible position – because AI greatly enhances photos and if we don't use it, our competitors still will. They'll get more work as a result, and our businesses will suffer.

As for the elderly client, she was delighted with the results of my Photoshopping, so I kept schtum about my use of the AI Remove tool. I think that's the key to keeping clients happy: just don't mention the dreaded AI – or claim it stands for 'Aesthetic Improvement'. It's only a tiny white lie.

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