The Ethical Dilemma of Stock Imagery and Artificial intelligence

by Ashley Graham-Wilcox

Finding images to support our church communications can feel overwhelming – and repetitive. Stock imagery is often the solution. Some of our go-to resources for stock images and videos are Shutterstock, Unsplash, Pexels, Shot Stash, Pixabay, Adobe Stock, and we’ve even been occasionally persuaded to pay for a Getty image for a true centerpiece graphic. We’ve also just learned about Nappy.co in the article linked below, specifically for more representative and diverse photos.

Now, imagine instead of finding a stock photo and making it work, you could tell a computer exactly what image fits your content and audience. That’s where AI comes in.

“Show me a young family in the third row of a Christmas service at an urban, Protestant church.”

Generated by Ideogram.ai, “young family in the third row of a Christmas service at an urban, Protestant church”

As AI becomes more prevalent every day, the stories around its shortcomings are, too. As with stock imagery, when using artificial intelligence, you need to pair the tool with human oversight, ensuring alignment with your organization's mission, branding, and ethical guidelines, as well as potential licensing and copyright issues.

This story on Marketplace this week has me thinking about the moral and ethical implications of creating/marketing an image of something that may not exist for my own communication goals.

Take a listen, and let us know how you’re finding stock images or considering using AI in your church communications in the comments.