Are AI Headshots for Keynote Gigs A Good Idea?
A few weeks back, I was at a conference with a speaker client.
While chatting during dinner the night before he delivered his keynote, I wondered who else was speaking over the course of the 2-day event.
As we looked through the conference website that listed all the presenters with their speech title and description, there also was a headshot revealing each speaker.
While they all pretty much had the same standard headshot vibe, one particularly stood out.
Not because it had some exceptional photographic quality to it.
It's because it was clearly an AI-generated photo.
Everything on her face looked disturbingly manicured and clean. To me, it felt extremely odd and out of place.
When I shared that sentiment with my client, he agreed, and then expanded on that same thought.
His first impression? Without ever hearing a word out of her mouth, this speaker felt inauthentic and cold.
Instead of wondering about how she will present their message of transformation, my client, instead, was more curious about how she actually looks in real life based on her decision to use an AI-generated headshot.
Ultimately, my client concluded that this choice was a bad judgment call.
Why?
If you’re delivering a keynote, conference participants want to get a sense of who you are before you speak. They want to feel a connection before you open your mouth.
By using a “fake” picture, that pushes people away rather than inspiring curiosity in them to lean in to what you have to say.
Why?
Because the viewers of that photo can’t get a genuine vibe from a digitally manipulated image that gives clues to her personality and whether she's a good person or not.
With AI, there's no true personality shining through…
And that’s a problem.
Now, does that mean all AI-generated photos are a bad idea?
Not necessarily. As long as they are used for fun, personal reasons, and not part of the face of your business, then, have fun with it.
Long story short, there’s a time and place - and submitting one of these photos to a keynote speaking gig is not one of them.