When AI Forgets Consent
The Hidden Cost of Progress
Artificial intelligence is reshaping photography faster than anyone imagined. AI-powered retouching, curation, and even face generation are marketed as breakthroughs. But behind many of these tools lies an uncomfortable truth: countless faces have been scraped from the internet and used to train algorithms — often without permission.
Portraits, which should be rooted in trust and dignity, risk being absorbed into systems that treat identity as raw data. The problem isn’t just technical. It’s deeply ethical.
Portraiture and the Promise of Consent
When someone steps in front of a camera, they’re offering trust. They’re saying yes to being seen, yes to being remembered in this way, yes to the vulnerability of being photographed.
Consent is at the heart of that exchange. It’s what makes portraiture safe, sacred, and honorable. Without consent, a portrait is no longer a gift — it becomes a theft.
The AI Problem
AI models often sidestep this trust. They vacuum up billions of images from the web, treating faces as free resources rather than personal identities.
A child’s photo posted to a family blog becomes part of a dataset.
A headshot on a company site is ingested into training material.
A portrait once meant for memory becomes fodder for machines.
The people in these images never said yes.
Why Consent Matters
Portraits are not pixels. They are people. Using them without consent dehumanizes the subject, reducing presence to pattern, dignity to data.
For Image Alive, this is non-negotiable: a portrait should always honor the agency of the person in it. No algorithm, however powerful, has the right to override that.
Where Photographers Must Draw the Line
AI may become a standard tool in photography, but it cannot become an excuse to ignore consent. As photographers, we have to protect the trust that defines our work.
That means:
Refusing to use AI systems that exploit people’s images without permission.
Educating clients about how their images will be stored, edited, and shared.
Choosing tools that align with values, not just convenience.
Image Alive’s Perspective
At Image Alive, we believe portraits are encounters built on trust. If AI forgets consent, we will not follow. Technology should serve people, not use them.
The line is clear: a portrait without consent isn’t a portrait at all — it’s a violation.
Looking Ahead
The future of photography will be shaped by technology, but it must also be guarded by ethics. Consent is not a small detail — it’s the foundation.
In an age where AI wants to turn every face into fuel, the most radical act may be this: to keep saying yes must matter.
