AI has been the hot topic in our team meetings over the past few months, with the Skout team debating the pros and cons of its use. From using it to assist with desk research and providing inspiration for headlines through to transcribing interviews to help remove the need for extensive notetaking. Its flipside, however, has driven conversations around its lack of creativity, accuracy of information, and of course, its unpredictability; will there be an AI doomsday? (Let’s hope not!)
One area of AI that has sparked my curiosity, is its ability to create imagery. Within the world of marketing, images can speak louder than words – they help tell the story. Whether that’s selecting visuals to represent your brand identity, choosing the perfect picture to accompany a blog, or using an image that will connect with your audience on an emotional level. The power of imagery should not be underestimated. Yet, as I’m sure you’ll agree, as marketers we can often go down rabbit holes to find the most suitable image to tell the story.
The good
Personally, I’ve lost many hours of my life searching through reams of stock images only to choose one that doesn’t quite meet my expectations. Whilst the alternative is to brief a designer or photographer, you might need to save your time and budget for bigger content assets. Today, marketers have access to increasingly sophisticated image generation tools including Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT’s image generation capabilities, Midjourney, Adobe Firefly and Canva AI. What was once considered experimental has rapidly become part of the everyday content creation toolkit. For example, let’s say I needed an image of a female PR professional with ginger hair writing a blog on her laptop, a platform like ChatGPT would generate this…
Both B2B and B2C brands have been experimenting with AI imagery. Heinz launched its first-ever ad campaign with visuals generated entirely from AI. Stemming from a simple idea, consumers were urged to share AI image prompts for ketchup-based imagery, with the best creations appearing in social media posts and print ads. Another clever example is the AI powered ‘shoe mirror’ that has been designed to turn vacant shop fronts into interactive, revenue generating ads. Here’s how it works: The shoe mirror analyses the clothing of passers by and finds shoes to match their outfits using augmented reality. AI imagery is no longer just a shortcut for sourcing visuals. It allows marketers to visualise abstract concepts, create campaign assets quickly, test creative ideas and develop tailored imagery that would previously have required significant design resource.
The bad
While image quality has improved dramatically over the past few years, challenges remain. Generating effective imagery still depends heavily on the quality of prompts, human judgement and creative direction. AI can generate images quickly, but it can’t always guarantee relevance, brand alignment or accuracy.
As with everything AI, the key is the prompts that you use. The more specific you can be the higher the chances of getting an image that is what you are actually looking for. There are still some challenges though as AI is still learning its craft. For example, AI generated hands….
Whilst some generators do have the capability to create ‘realistic’ images of humans, they often stumble when it comes to our hands. From adding too many fingers to morphing digits together, AI isn’t trained to generate hands as they are less visible in source images. Just do a quick Google search for ‘AI hands fail’ and you will see what I mean.
The ugly
AI-generated imagery might create new opportunities for marketers but how ethical is it to use? Firstly, there are questions surrounding who should be credited with creating the artwork. The artist who created the algorithm or the machine itself? This is a controversial and a complex issue, especially when you consider the terms and conditions of the platform used to generate the image, human input, and the fact that AI has generated the creation. Secondly, there is a potential for bias as AI algorithms are only as good as the data they are trained on. This could potentially open the door for stereotyping and discrimination. Finally, will it threaten the job roles of artists, photographers, animators, and designers? Some professionals say ‘no’ and consider AI as a starting point as the ideas will still be developed by the artist themselves. Whereas an article by Forbes suggests that work will be shifted to non-artists using powerful AI-based tools capable of generating hundreds of images in every style imaginable in minutes.
Legal and copyright questions also continue to evolve. While many AI providers now offer commercially licensed outputs, organisations must still understand the origin of training data, usage rights and potential intellectual property risks before deploying AI-generated visuals in campaigns.
What does this all mean for brands targeting HR audiences?
For brands targeting HR decision-makers, AI imagery should be viewed as a tool rather than a replacement for creativity. It can help bring research findings, workplace trends and thought leadership campaigns to life, but the most effective communications still require genuine audience understanding. HR professionals value authenticity, trust and relevance, meaning visuals must support the story rather than distract from it.
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