How to tell if someone is using an AI headshot — and why it matters more than you think

Let me say the generous thing first: AI headshot tools are genuinely impressive. The technology has moved fast. For $29 and twenty minutes, someone can go from no professional photo to something that looks, at first glance, like a real headshot. That's not nothing.

‍

But here's what I've noticed after a decade of photographing executives and a parallel career managing how senior leaders are perceived: the people whose judgment matters most to you are very good at reading images. They do it constantly, often without knowing they're doing it. And the things that give away an AI headshot aren't subtle once you know what you're looking at.

‍

This isn't written to be dismissive of the technology. It's written because your personal brand is doing work on your behalf right now — in search results, on LinkedIn, in every bio and press mention and company page where your image appears. Understanding what that image communicates is worth your time.

‍

Heading 3

Heading 4

The five tells — and what's behind each one

Heading 5

Heading 6

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

Block quote

Ordered list

1. Item 1
2. Item 2
3. Item 3

Unordered list

• Item A
• Item B
• Item C

Text link

Bold text

Emphasis

^Superscript

_Subscript