If you've ever struggled to find a good photo of yourself for LinkedIn, there might be a solution: AI.
TikTok users are using AI apps to transform selfies into professional headshots. In one post, a happy snap taken at drinks becomes a polished photo complete with suit jacket.
While the results can be impressive, these apps generally require users to upload multiple photos of themselves, which could raise privacy concerns. And that's not the only issue.
Some have found that photos generated by one popular app, Remini, have drastically changed the image to make them look slimmer. Photographers, meanwhile, are concerned these apps could lead to lost income.
So, should we be embracing AI-enhanced photos or should we be concerned? We spoke to two experts to find out.
How AI photo apps work
Kris Ehinger is a senior lecturer in computing and information systems at the University of Melbourne. She says these AI apps are based on algorithms that are trained on millions of images.
"They're very analogous to something like ChatGPT, which works by guessing what comes next in a sentence," she says.
To create an image, the AI needs a reference. So, if you're using one of these apps, you'll be asked to upload photos of yourself: one app I tried to use asked for at least eight photos. From those references, the app will create an entirely new image.
When Teagan Brown, a US-based sports journalist, tried it herself, she was impressed by the results.
"It definitely seems like they’re just heavily edited photographs," she wrote in a post on Twitter.
While the algorithms are getting better, AI does make mistakes when processing images, such as adding extra fingers or giving people the wrong number of teeth.
Sometimes an AI-generated photo might capture someone's likeness, but look eerie and unnatural.
"Sometimes, the hair can look really plasticky, or the skin can look plasticky. That can be a cue. But you also get that from filters," Dr Ehinger says.
One user complained that AI-generated portraits made her look about 35 kilograms skinnier. It's led to some people voicing concerns that this new technology could lead to body dysmorphia and low self-esteem.
Should you be concerned about privacy?
Some people have expressed concerns about the privacy and data collection policies of these apps, as they rely on photos uploaded by users.
On its website, Remini mentions that uploaded videos and images may be used "to train and validate our photo-video editor algorithms" with your consent.
Remini says it only stores data on its servers "for a short period of time" or "if you provided explicit consent for us to use your images and videos to improve our AI".
Under the app's privacy policy, users can also request for their data to be erased.
If you're considering using one of these apps, Dr Ehinger says it's important to understand how your data will be stored and used.
"I think it's a good idea to read the terms and conditions and see if that's what they're doing with your data," she says.
"To the extent that companies can get your data for free, by offering you a service like retouching your photos, that's a pretty good deal for a company.
"They get lots of data they can use to train another model that could be really profitable."
Is it OK to use an AI-generated image for work?
Anna Pannuzzo is the director and founder of a boutique HR firm based in Melbourne.
She says while using an AI app to generate a professional photo could save you money, it could not go down as well with recruiters and potential employers.
"One of the most important things is if it's overly touched up, it may be off-putting," she says.
"It might even suggest your profile is a bit fake. If the image is natural, it's a really good start.
"We always say the image is a true representation of the person. It's a bit like a dating profile: no-one likes a fraud or a fake."
Instead, she suggests to use a photo that's an accurate representation of you.
"I would stick with the 'real me' photo, so you won't mislead anyone," she says.
"Something that looks nice and reflects who you are, rather than touching it up and changing it."
Can you tell a real photo from one generated by AI?
Considering the rapid progress of this technology, it's likely AI-generated images will eventually become virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.
"There will be probably an arms race of algorithms designing images that no-one can detect are fake — and algorithms trying to detect which images are fake," Dr Ehinger says.
For now, Dr Ehinger says there are ways to detect whether an image has been artificially generated. But that may not always be the case.
"There may always some ability to detect these by algorithms, but usually the result will [be expressed in] probability. It might be 65 per cent confident there's a fake — it's never 100 per cent confident.
"I think you have to think of the social impact of that. You need to educate people to be aware that some images are faked.
"[But] I think it's worth considering that we do we have faked images already: a lot of the images you see in magazines and ads are not original photographs; they are touched up."
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