Should Students Use AI Headshot Generators for Job Hunts?

• TikTok users are utilizing AI to create professional-looking headshots.
• AI-generated headshots are a cost-efficient, quick way for students to get a LinkedIn-worthy photo (if it comes out anatomically correct).
• Photos can range from realistic to impossible, giving people airbrushed faces, sometimes accompanied by an extra finger or two.

The perfect professional headshot is difficult to get, especially for college students who might lack the funds, photography equipment, or wardrobe necessary to achieve the quintessential business photo used on resumes and LinkedIn profiles.

Now, TikTok users are using artificial intelligence (AI) to create photo shoot-level images out of everyday selfies in a matter of minutes.

One of the most popular tools to create AI-generated headshots is Remini. You can download the Remini app onto your phone and upload several images to help the AI learn your face.

According to Remini's website, the AI headshot generator will take a couple of minutes to train to a user's face. After that, you pick a model image with the style and pose you want to emulate and can start generating multiple photos featuring your own face.

Simple enough. But should you use the app for your job hunt? Some photos come out questionable, and you might be signing away rights to your photos. Here's what you need to know about Remini:

Too-Perfect Headshots

Those who have used Remini have reported the AI-generated headshots they have received have looked pretty realistic, although the images can look too perfect: airbrushed with not a single imperfection.

@katiefeeneyy

This AI stuff is freaking me out😦

♬ 3:15 (Slowed Down + Reverb) - Russ

I've tried Remini 100x and keep getting way hotter/unbelievable versions of myself, one user commented on a video by influencer and Pennsylvania State University student Katie Feeney.

AI headshot generators can also have trouble with body parts in headshots, deforming fingers and other features in full-body images. Additionally, there are a select number of models to choose from, so multiple users' final images may have a resemblance to one another.

@austin.mfit Catch me at the office #aiheadshots ♬ 3:15 (Slowed Down + Reverb) - Russ

Remini offers a three-day free trial for those who want to test out their headshot-generating capabilities. After that, it costs $4.99 per week or $34.99 annually for Remini Lite and $9.99 per week or $79.99 annually for the Pro version.

Privacy Concerns

While AI seems all the rage, some users have questions about how Remini uses and stores uploaded photos.

According to Remini's terms and conditions, the app can use user-generated content for the purposes of operating, developing, and improving the Products or new technologies or services. This includes training AI to develop better, more realistic photos with images uploaded by users.

Additionally, if you suggest ideas about how Remini can improve their app, you're handing over the creative rights to use that feedback in any way they desire without compensating you.