The emergence of generative AI images has significantly disrupted the photography industry, with concerns that go beyond mere competition. Photographers are now grappling with safeguarding their work from AI, which often repurposes and resamples existing photos. Initially, it was easy to mock generative AI's early photorealistic attempts. Like many artists, AI struggled with drawing hands, often creating people with six fingers—a telltale sign of AI involvement. Even in my brief exploration of generative AI, I've noticed it struggles with specific real-world objects. When prompted to create a "saxophone, " for instance, it often generates an image resembling a brass, cyberpunk-style plumbing system rather than a musical instrument. However, generative AI is improving each year, and its growing ability to produce captivating images will inevitably pose competition to traditional arts like photography and graphic design. Alarmingly, current generative AI essentially reuses existing images since its output is a reshaped amalgam of images from its training data. Where do these images originate? Essentially, they can come from any online source where AI companies can extract images.

As a photographer, artist, or designer, this should be concerning, as your work could be appropriated, with or without your consent. Thus, when generative AI is asked to create an image of a snowy owl landing on a frozen lake, it draws upon images from photographers who captured snowy owls and frozen lakes. Canadian wildlife photographer Simon D’Entremont addresses this issue in his recent video series, where he shares his expertise and insights about photography. Simon provides a thoughtful and balanced perspective, expressing his concerns about AI’s impact on professional photographers while acknowledging its advantages. His video sensibly avoids the panicked narrative common in discussions about AI threatening creative industries. Instead, he offers practical advice on adapting to this new landscape and steps creatives can take to safeguard their work from AI misuse. What are your thoughts on this subject?Are you concerned about generative AI, or have you already felt its impact—positively or negatively—in your work?Share your views in the comments.