Should You Use AI-Generated Images for Your Website?
In the last couple of years, generative artificial intelligence has been making waves. It’s able to create unique content, images, and other media in a way never possible before.
Instead of spending thousands of dollars setting up an elaborate photo shoot, you can now use AI to create beautiful images in a matter of minutes. The question is, though, should you?
If you speak to creative professionals, AI is “borrowing” styles from existing work online. There is a wide debate about whether or not this constitutes copyright infringement or not.
So, the issue of using AI isn’t as simple as the debate about ecommerce customer service outsourcing. With the latter, you can definitely improve your customer support by partnering with the right company.
With the former, however, you could be treading into murkier territory.
In this article, we’ll examine whether or not you should use AI-generated art on your website. Then, you can make an informed decision going forward.
The Benefits of Using AI-Generated Images
We’ve got to admit that it’s very tempting to use products like Midjourney and Dall-E. While these were hit-and-miss in the early days, AI is now much more capable of understanding prompts correctly.
Let’s see why you should consider using an image generator.
Cost-Effectiveness
When sourcing images in the past, you had three options:
- Hire a photographer to do a photo shoot, or
- Use stock photography or
- Muddle through on your own.
For many small businesses, hiring a photographer was too expensive. Stock images are cheaper, but you have to pay per image, and it can become expensive. If you want a highly relevant photo, you might have to take it yourself.
The big advantage of using AI platforms is their low cost. If you engineer the prompt properly, you get a great shot that matches your vision. If you need a lot of images, you can usually sign up for a cost-effective subscription option.
Speed and Efficiency
How long does it take to set up a photoshoot? You have to arrange for the models, get the photographer, and make sure the set dressing is done. This can take weeks of planning.
Even if you have everything on hand, you’re potentially looking at hours of work to get the perfect shot. Then there’s the editing afterward. Photoshop and programs like it allow us to create special effects, but it all takes time.
With AI, you wait seconds to get relevant and highly engaging images. This means that you can easily update your product catalog or create visually appealing blog posts.
Personalization
You can ask the AI to use images that match the branding, tone, and specific needs of your site. You can adjust the color scheme, style, or content of an image to align with your site’s aesthetic. You can further tailor the prompt to make it culturally appropriate.
Unlimited Creative Possibilities
Computers think completely differently from humans, opening up new creative possibilities. Therefore, you could ask AI to come up with a concept. You can use this as an example for your team to work on.
You can be sure to create a unique piece of work for your website.
The Challenges of Using AI-Generated Images
Before you sign up for a subscription, let’s consider some of the potential downsides.
Lack of the Human Touch
AI images are becoming more sophisticated, but they can come across as emotionless. They lack the nuances that a human photographer or graphic designer might incorporate.
What’s more, AI can sometimes have issues with accurate portrayals of some things, like fingers. You’ll know, without thinking twice, that a cat shouldn’t have two tails. AI won’t necessarily.
Ethical and Copyright Concerns
All of the companies train their AI models on large datasets of publicly available images. The issue is that it can sometimes “borrow” aspects from these.
It won’t directly copy the work, but it may duplicate the style. In some cases, people may believe that the original artist created the work.
While the AI content seems new, it’s a blend of pre-existing works. Ethically, this raises issues of copyright infringement. This is a developing area in terms of the law.
Artists have been suing companies like OpenAI for copyright infringement. Their point is that they never gave permission for the company to use their images to train their bots. While this is an ongoing issue, it’ll be interesting to transpire.
Could you get into trouble for using these issues? One would assume not, but it’s worth considering the potential legal ramifications.
Just as it’s important to evaluate legal risks, working with professionals like Shopify developers can help avoid pitfalls when integrating third-party tools into your store.
Quality and Coherence
AI isn’t perfect. There are often inconsistencies or visual errors. The more complex the composition, the more likely there is to be an issue. It seems that AI often battles with human anatomy, intricate objects, and multi-layered scenes.
In some cases, these errors are jarring. Which makes them useless when you need high-end images.
Potential for Overuse
There’s a chance that everyone will start using the technology. AI generates images in a similar style. This makes it possible for websites to start looking similar. Therefore, to stand out, you’d have to start creating your own images again.
Trust and Authenticity
Consumers today are more picky about honesty from brands. If you’re using AI, you need to own up to it. And it better fits in with your brand image.
If you make artisanal bread or handmade products, using AI images will seem like a mismatch. You could, therefore, alienate your audience.
Conclusion
When it comes to using AI-generated images, there are pros and cons. There’s a definite cost advantage to going this route.
However, it may prove harder to differentiate your brand if everyone else does, too. What’s more, there’s the potential ethical implications and copyright infringement issues.
Each company needs to consider the final use case. They should weigh up whether or not using these images will fit with their brand. There are many other ways that AI can save you time and money without generating images.
