Authenticity vs. AI: My Take On the Headshot Debate (So far.)
More and more, I’ve been meeting people offline who first met me online.
And the opening line I hear again and again?
“You have some of the best AI photos I’ve ever seen.”
Translation: Holy hell… they actually look like you.
But here’s what no one ever asks (and what I’m more than happy to answer):
1. Aren’t you ashamed to use “fake” photos?
Short answer: No.
Longer answer: Hell no.
I’ve already posted myself in curlers, a bathrobe, and no makeup.
Transparency? Established.
You could spot me in a boardroom, my kitchen, or on a street corner with bedhead…and still know it’s me.
👉 And let’s be clear: not all my photos are AI. Some are real. Some are AI. Some are hybrids.
With 20,000 stock images in my iCloud…I have it all on reel.
Sometimes that’s hot CEO energy.
Sometimes that’s mystical goddess.
Sometimes it’s just “finally caught me on a good hair day.”
All of it is me.
2. But isn’t it deceitful?
Much like the ambivalent moving targets of healthy boundaries in every complex relationship horizons…online, in person, professional and personal…the decisions for right action lie in the heart of each individual.
I would never encourage anyone to do what feels wrong.
But here’s my take: we’ve always filtered ourselves.
Lighting. Makeup. Photoshop. FaceTune.
We’re taught it’s good business and proper cultural etiquette.
It’s all been “fake” for decades really if we are willing to reflect a few.
AI just does it faster. Sometimes better. Sometimes cursed and trust me, I’ve got plenty of those fails for your morning entertainment.
Fun pro tip: If I don’t set my age to 25–30, the software adds age lines to my face. Apparently, the algorithm feels a need to age up if you look too young in your own photos.
And let’s get really real a moment: Botox is basically a real-life AI filter. I personally choose to not use it but fully support my slew of friends who do. And who cares?
But the core principle is the same. Putting our best face forward…”smoothing the lines” of our imperfections so we can feel more confident in how we present ourselves in the world.
We’ve been editing, enhancing, and presenting ever evolving versions of ourselves as long as we’ve been aware it was an option.
And yes, I ran the numbers:
$275 → 5 stunning final shots with a phenomenal local photographer (worth every penny for her market)…but longer timeline, limited style changes and location locked.
$100 → endless AI shots, multiple styles, created in my kitchen in jammies, on a business card mockup within hours…in an endless array of locations, colors, styles and settings.
So after crunching the numbers, I realized this wasn’t really about “real” vs. “fake.”
It was about learning to use the right tools for the right job.
And besides…it’s business research.
Like most things, practice makes perfect. The more you understand the software by testing where it fails, the better you can control the result.
Spoiler: it took a lot of test runs.
Behind every “best” photo, there are 50+ nightmare-fuel disasters.
That’s the point.
✨ No one gets “the best” without failing forward.
✨ Authenticity isn’t about the medium, it’s about whether you recognize me when we finally meet.
✨ Tech can deceive, but how we use it reveals truth.
So no, I’m not ashamed of my AI photos. They’re absurdly authentic and disturbingly artificial, two truths living in tension…my favorite play to play.
But maybe that’s the deeper point:
We’ve always edited, filtered, and masked ourselves, online, in business, in life.
The real authenticity isn’t in pretending those masks don’t exist.
It’s in being transparent about where we’re real and where we’re not.
So here’s the question I’ll leave you with:
👉 Why do we call it “fake” when a computer generates a backdrop, but smart when we filter, retouch, and photoshop our “real” ones?
Maybe authenticity isn’t about the tool.
Maybe it’s about whether people can still feel you through it.
And if that’s true, then AI isn’t the death of authenticity…
It’s a new opportunity to be boldly seen.
And if that means my photos are both real and not real…well, so am I.
✨ If this resonated, or if you’re curious how we can elevate your brand presence with tools like this — from headshots to marketing materials…let’s talk. Your brand deserves to be boldly seen.
