As we continue to see artificial intelligence remake what we think of content creation, image creation, and other areas of our lives, it’s no wonder that this AI-powered technology is starting to infiltrate the areas of online profile photographs. We have seen many visit website to transform the average selfie of a job seeker into something more professional, sometimes bordering on too fake looking.

That said, today we want to discuss the rise of AI headshots in job applications and whether or not some people are taking it too far.  We also wonder, how much AI is too much AI in our world? After all, the more often humans use artificial intelligence to make their life easier, the less of their creative mind they’re using.

There is plenty to discuss here, let’s start with sharing what AI headshots are.

AI headshots are a piece of technology that utilizes artificial intelligence to transform the lighting, the background, the coloration, and remove blemishes of your less than desirable selfie. Within this program you will pay a small fee and then upload a handful of photographs int the system. The program will then run various customizations based on what you’ve asked it to do.

Some of these AI headshot programs are able to change what your outfit is, make you look like flawless, and even change the entire background. This tool is almost like Photoshop without the added learning curve. Job applicants enjoy using this program to help bring forward the best possible digital first impression as they search to find a job position that fits their skills.

This technology is far more affordable for every budget size, especially for the job seeker who may not have much money to work with because they need a job to earn income. That said, we’ve seen some people take this technology too far and start to appear more AI looking. The last thing an HR department wants is to put a job applicant who looks too robotic into their pool of potential candidates.

How much is too much with AI headshots?

When it comes to using AI headshots, it seems the biggest debate surrounding job applications using this technology is whether or not they are editing the photos too much. The debate surrounds the concept of authenticity. You want to use AI headshots to make your photograph look more professional while still resembling the real version of you.

This is to ensure that you’re not misrepresenting your appearance, and then wasting your time and the potential employer’s time by showing up to an interview looking nothing like the image you depicted within your resume or online application. While an employer can’t hire you based on your appearance, the last thing they want to do is bring in a person who looks or is robotic or fake in their portfolio. This fakeness that too much AI editing can cause will deter you from getting that dream job.

Some people are concerned about how these AI headshots will create a false representation of what beautiful is, but we’ve had this discussion in historical times when people on magazines were being overly edited to appear flawless. So the conversation around the concept of over-editing to look fake, isn’t new, but this technology is.

That means that more and more people are using AI headshots, because it’s new and easily accessible by most people. This has a smaller learning curve than any other photo editing program, and has a low fee, often just $50 gains you access to transform your average selfie into something more professional. This gives you a little leeway in having the hiring manager notice you above other candidates.

This program only needs you to upload photographs, and click a few buttons. This means you can easily have a more powerful digital first impression when you opt to use this technology on your job application.

In a world where first impressions are often made in the digital world, it’s time that we discuss how much editing is too much editing. Should we maintain some level of authenticity of ourselves as we use AI headshots to improve our online appearance? How much editing is too much editing? These questions, among others, seem to have varying answers depending on who you are talking with.

As we continue to live in a world fueled by artificial intelligence, we must hold tightly onto things that are still able to be real. This could pertain to job applications that have digitally edited photographs attached to them. We should set the standard for how much editing will be considered a misrepresentation of yourself. This allows job applicants and employers to be on the same page as each tries to navigate this world of AI headshots and other AI technology that we are seeing being used by the masses.