AI headshot generators have become impossible to ignore. Tools like HeadshotPro, Aragon AI, and BetterPic promise studio-quality portraits from a handful of selfies, delivered in minutes for a fraction of the cost of a photography session. For busy professionals weighing up their options, it is a genuinely appealing proposition.
But are AI headshots actually good enough for corporate and business use? As a corporate photographer with over 17 years of experience, I have a clear perspective on this, but I also think the answer is more nuanced than most photographers will admit.
Here is an honest comparison of where AI headshots work, where they fall short, and how to decide which option makes sense for your situation.
Where AI Headshots Have Improved
Credit where it is due. AI headshot tools have come a long way. The better platforms now produce images that, at first glance, look convincingly professional. Lighting is generally well-handled, backgrounds are clean, and the overall composition follows the conventions of a standard corporate headshot.
For someone who needs a quick profile image for a new social media account or an internal directory, and who has no existing professional photo to use, an AI-generated headshot can fill that gap in the short term.
The Problems You Cannot Ignore
The issues with AI headshots become apparent quickly, especially in a corporate context where your image is doing real work for you and your business.
The uncanny valley effect. Even the best AI headshots have a tell. The skin looks a little too smooth, the eyes a little too symmetrical, and the overall image carries a slightly rendered quality. Most people cannot pinpoint exactly what is off, but they notice something. When your headshot is supposed to build trust and credibility, “something feels off” is exactly the reaction you want to avoid.
It does not actually look like you. This is the most significant issue. AI tools generate an approximation of your face based on the photos you upload. The result might look like a better, more polished version of you, or it might subtly alter your features in ways you do not notice until a client meets you on a video call and the disconnect is immediately obvious. Your headshot should look like the person who shows up to the meeting.
Clothing and styling are guesswork. AI platforms do not know what you actually wear or what suits your industry. They pull from generic corporate imagery in their training data, which means you might end up in a suit you would never own, a hairstyle you have never had, or accessories that do not match your personal brand. For a corporate headshot, the details of what you wear and how you present yourself are part of the message.
No creative direction. A professional headshot session is not just about pressing a shutter button. It involves guidance on posture, expression, angle, and how to translate your personality into a still image. A skilled photographer will spot the tension in your shoulders, adjust the angle of your chin, and coax out a natural expression that a static selfie can never capture. AI has no ability to direct you, and it cannot capture something that was never there in the input photos.
Resolution and versatility limitations. Most AI tools output images at around 2,400 pixels on the longest edge. That is adequate for a LinkedIn profile or a website thumbnail, but it will not hold up for print use in annual reports, conference programmes, or press features. A professional session delivers high-resolution files that work across every medium.
Enterprise policies are catching up. A growing number of large organisations now have policies against AI-generated headshots for staff profiles, particularly in client-facing roles. If you work with or within corporates, it is worth checking whether AI images are even acceptable before investing time in generating them.
Where Professional Headshots Still Win
The value of a professional headshot goes beyond the final image. It is the combination of expertise, personal direction, and technical quality that produces a result AI cannot replicate.
Authenticity. A professional headshot is a photograph of you, not an approximation. The person on screen matches the person in the room. In corporate environments where trust and credibility are currency, this matters more than most people realise.
Guided expression. The difference between a headshot that projects confidence and one that projects discomfort often comes down to a few millimetres of posture adjustment and a moment of genuine interaction between photographer and subject. That guidance is what makes the difference between a photo that works and one that just exists.
Consistency for teams. If you need headshots for a team, AI tools produce results with wildly inconsistent lighting, colour tones, and styling because each image is generated independently. A professional shoot ensures every team member’s image looks cohesive on your website, email signatures, and marketing materials.
Versatility. A professional session can produce headshots, three-quarter portraits, environmental portraits, and branding images in a single sitting. AI gives you one format: a cropped face on a generic background.
When AI Might Make Sense
I am not going to pretend AI headshots have no use case. If you need a temporary placeholder image while you arrange a proper session, or if you are testing different profile photos for personal social accounts, an AI headshot is a low-cost option. Some professionals use AI images for quick iterations on secondary platforms where the stakes are lower.
But for anything client-facing, anything that represents your business, or anything that will be used across multiple touchpoints, a professional headshot remains the better investment.
The Bottom Line
AI headshot tools are a useful technology, but they solve a different problem to professional photography. They offer speed and affordability at the cost of authenticity, personalisation, and quality. For corporate professionals, business owners, and organisations where first impressions carry real weight, the value of a genuine, expertly crafted headshot has not diminished. If anything, the proliferation of AI-generated images has made the real thing stand out more.
Ready to Invest in the Real Thing?
If you are considering professional headshots for yourself or your team, I would be happy to discuss what would work best for your needs. Whether it is a focused individual session in my Woodstock studio or a team headshot day at your office, the goal is always the same: images that look like you, at your best.
