Ai Headshots - Are they worth it? - Chicago Personal and Business Branding Headshot Photographer

They may seem like a cheaper, quicker route at first. However, they likely will cost your brand a lot more in the long run.

The process for getting an Ai headshot

For my Ai headshots, I used Instaheadshots. There are a bunch of companies out there. This one actually had pretty decent reviews. I wanted to try them out with a company that was supposedly tried and true.

Most companies require you to upload about 6-12 photos of yourself. They’ll compile these together, reaching out into who knows where for source material on backgrounds, clothing, and hairstyles. Then, they’ll send you a zip file with your images within just a few minutes. With Instaheadshots, I received 49 images total.

Of those, it’s a gamble how many will be useable. From my gallery, there were maybe 4 that on the surface, looked pretty decent. However, when I looked closer, every single photo had clues that it was created by a computer.

Ai headshots will end up costing you more

You may have heard people talking about how Ai will save you money from having to hire someone. It saves time because the headshots are done within a matter of minutes. Sure. All of this is true.

However, I believe that Ai will cost you a lot more in the long run and it isn’t worth your time or investment.

Have you ever sat down with someone who you only know from a photograph and that person looks nothing like the person you are meeting in real life? It feels uncomfortable and creates an automatic unease or disconnect.

Ai is no different. Your perspective client will sense that something is “off.” They may not be able to pin point why, but it will tarnish their impression of you.

Some people will spot the Ai before they even reach out to you. Many will move on to work with someone else, believing that your brand is cheap, unprofessional, and maybe not even trustworthy.

In this world where so many people are working for themselves, all of that can add up to a big loss of potential revenue.

Spot the Ai

Below is my gallery of Ai headshots. I received a total of 49 images. Most of the parts that are off are the eyes, the teeth, and the body proportions. (I come from an art education background. DaVinci taught us all a lot about body proportions…)

This list of what is off could be repeated on just about every photo in this carousel.

My hair is reddish only in some lighting. I’m dark blonde.
Compare the shapes of the iris in the eyes. They are mismatched in many of these.
The catchlights in the eyes are in some cases coming from different sources.
In most of these, those are not my teeth. In particular, look at how the front two teeth are mismatched sizes.
In a good majority of these, I’m wearing clothes that don’t match my real life wardrobe style.
In many of these, the body proportions are off. If you double the length of your head, that is how wide your shoulders are.

Scroll through the images, the caption will tell you what else I can see. Some of them are really quite awful!

My hands at the very bottom are strange sizes. There’s also a weird line through a finger.

The body proportions are totally off. My head looks enormous! Also, I’ve only got one earring on.

This one could be passible. Although I rarely dress that elegantly. They eyes and teeth are off when you look closely.

I haven’t worn a suit in over 15 years. And that smile looks like I’ve got a piece of gum between my teeth and cheek.

My head is too big for my body and the teeth are even bigger. And my boobs sure don’t look like that. (Although I wouldn’t be upset if I wish they did.)

Those eyes?!?!

It’s a double knotted tie for a non-tie wearer! And again, my head is too big for that body.

This might be the most passible portrait of the bunch. Except I don’t wear suits.

These breasts are much larger than mine. That’s also a strange smile. I can’t quite pinpoint it

What happened to the clothes right at my neck?

Cute hair, but those teeth, the eyes, and the clothes…

Pretty top…again much more elegant than I go. And the face proportions are off. I wish I could make my hair stay curly like that!

The hair has one chunk that goes straight across…almost like it was a very long piece and is now being worn as a headband.

The face proportions are off. They all seem slightly skewed to the right of the photo.

Anyone who knows me knows that my hats come in snow styles only.

The body does not match proportionally with my head. I also only wish my hair looked that full and wavy.

Not too bad except the eyes, the teeth, and the clothes.

There’s a lock of hair coming straight out of my earring.

What’s up with my left eye? And those teeth are a lot bigger than mine. And why do so many of these have that same blazer?

Why does the seam in the front of the shirt run such a straight vertical? And my head is a bit small for that body.Th

That forearm is a bit straight up compared to the angles of the upper arm. Those angles are not possible in real life.

My right ear is gone. And what is up with that left eye in particular?

One of the better photos…except the eyes and the teeth.

My head is small and the neck is very long compared to the shoulders.

Not too bad, except those eyes and teeth and the ultra red hair.Th

That smile?

What’s up with that left eye?

I only wish my boobs looked like that. And what’s up with the eyes? (Always the eyes…)

My hair doesn’t go that big, even when I try.

Not too bad…except the eyes, the teeth and the suit (which also partially disappears at my neck.)

That hair looks like it came from a person facing the camera head on. My face is a 3/4 view.

Not too bad except the eyes and the teeth.

That is an extra large wrinkle on the edge of my left eye.

A suit on a beach that’s not flat like Chicago?

That is a very big head on a little body.

There’s something weird happening in the texture of the suit. And those face proportions are very off.

That is a little head on a much bigger body.

I don’t quite understand the front of that suit. This one isn’t that bad, except the neck is longer than mine and those aren’t my teeth.

There are some strange patterns in the ribbing on the sweater. And the parts of my face seem to be pointing forward while the face itself is looking just to the right