And to be clear: This isn’t new. Every photo you see online is modified in some way—cropped, compressed, filtered, formatted. Even if it’s not manually edited, it’s being reprocessed by the platform itself. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok—they all change how images look before they hit your feed.
So why the moral panic now?
Is it because the image was obviously made by AI?
Even if it was, why does that suddenly make it less meaningful to you? Do you scrutinize TV commercials or magazine ads or government PSA flyers for authenticity? What about the memes your aunt shares or the blurry screenshots passed around group chats?
AI has been part of our lives far longer than most people care to admit. Spellcheck is AI. Your iPhone camera processing is AI. Excel auto-formulas are AI. Unless you’re printing a letter with a fountain pen and hand-delivering it to someone’s mailbox, you’re using computer-assisted systems.
So here’s the deal:
If I post a photo—real, AI-generated, or somewhere in between—my job is to give you useful or relevant content. You glance at it, get what you need, and scroll on. That’s how we consume information now.
This isn’t about trying to win awards for photojournalism. It’s about making content digestible, clear, and quick. If the post hits the mark, great. If not, scroll. But don’t pretend that some deep betrayal has occurred just because a piece of art or visual aid was enhanced—or even created—by a computer program.
And let’s be real: if I printed out this post, stuck it in an envelope, and mailed it to you, it would land in your trash bin with the rest of the junk mail.
(Respect to my friends who still print publications—I’m making a point.)
