Well this was an odd moment. Work was updating photos on our marketing materials and as there was no previous photo of me, my boss used a photo from the Christmas party and then used AI to modify it to look professional.
In contrast, the one I uploaded for the HR system 7 years ago was this one:
Admittedly it is old and not exactly professional.
I feel like my new photo is what they wish I was, my hair has been tamed, my teeth are whiter and I'm wearing a jacket rather than the uniform polo shirt we are required to wear.
If they were going to make an improved version, they could have reduced the double chin!
Ahh most women preferred paintings over photos for that exact reason. You could tell an artist to take off 5 ks from each hip, add 20 cms to the height and cover the grey hair with black. Then if you couldn't afford expensive clothes, the artist could simply add diamonds around the neck.
ReplyDeleteOf course paying a portraitist was more expensive than using AI to "cover" small issues :)
At this point i think I'm afraid of what a portraitist might see!
DeleteI am a bit shocked when my photo is taken, and noting all my flaws. Your so called double chin makes you look slightly flawed, so not the perfect person, and therefore more relatable to.
ReplyDeleteThats very nice of you, Andrew.
DeleteMost people will meet me and see my flaws in person before they see the photo
I rather like the happy smiling giggly version of you…..
ReplyDeleteThe AI one is polished but the other one is me, Cathy.
DeleteI actually like the older photo with the twinkling eyes and smile. The AI photo looks a little stiff!
ReplyDeleteDouble chins? That is my normal.
I just can't get used to my double chin but it is my middle aged normal!
DeleteInteresting! Maybe there's hope for me to get a new more good looking image.
ReplyDeleteYou can do anything with AI: older, younger, different hair. You might start to look like Robert Redford!
DeleteYour AI doctored photo is a ‘professional representation’ and sounds as if it was made without your consent, whereas the older HR photo is a candid expression of a warm, lovely you, provided by you. I think we are all hard to capture in static images but AI makes me shiver/cringe at the growing capacity to take over so much about our lives. Warm regards, Helen
ReplyDeleteHi Helen,
DeleteYes, while I like the image well enough, I also found it unsettling.
I find it frightening what AI can do. Maybe I should use it to make my white beard black again, and place hair on my bald head.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should but I think you secretly like being older and wiser :)
DeleteEven AI can't save me... LOL
ReplyDeleteNobody wants to be saved by AI, if you ask me 😅
DeleteThe whole AI thing is very troubling but also, incredibly useful. It takes so much hack work out of some of the things I do. But it also consumes vast amounts of energy and water, which is really troubling. The photo makes you look approachable and friendly, and still professional.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I have also used AI to reduce hack work. Its a wonderful tool but I think we haven't yet understood just what the negatives are.
DeleteIt happens with every new technology
I agree. As an artist I have watched my profession undermined for decades with one technological advance after another. Intellectual property rights were nuked when the internet took off. Anyone can steal your work with impunity.
DeleteNice photo, even with the double chin! I look at every photo with suspicion now, because AI-enhanced photos are getting so widespread. A shame if we can't just assume a photo is genuine any more.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nick. I like the photo but I'm not certain I like my image being so highly managed.
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