There's no doubt that AI headshots can revolutionize one's professional career by boosting job applications and networking, but what is it that makes them important for businesses? If you own or manage a company and you don't know about AI headshots yet, you may be missing out on a precious resource…
Ever since it came into the picture, AI has been rapidly incorporated in businesses, with 77% of companies reporting to use (or plan to use) AI in their operations. Out of all AI tools for businesses, AI image generators (including headshot generators) have been one of the most influential, with a whopping 441% year-over-year growth in 2024.
Other businesses have been investing hard on AI technology and incorporating AI headshots in their websites and official communications; so, why hasn't yours? If you're skeptical about the efficiency and usefulness of AI headshots, keep on reading—we're pretty sure you'll change your mind by the time you're done with this article!
Why Do Businesses Need AI Headshots?
Businesses have been using headshots way before AI technology became available, and they can have many useful purposes. They can, for example, be used to present the team behind the company, like when you visit a business's "About Us" page on their website. They can also be used internally and on official B2B communications.
If you own a business, you probably know this. The real question is: why should you replace the non-AI headshots of your team for AI versions? Well, here are some advantages of switching from non-AI to AI headshots:
- AI headshots are more convenient: Compared to traditional photography services, AI headshots are much cheaper and less time-consuming. Instead of losing a whole day by attending a tedious photoshoot at a photographer's studio, your team can generate high-quality headshots without leaving the office and in less than one hour.
- They're highly scalable: For companies with large teams, AI headshots offer limitless scalability, as new headshots can be created anywhere and at any time. Additionally, they provide a level of consistency that cannot be matched by traditional headshot services.
- They support your brand's image: Your company's marketing efforts are cohesive and support your brand's image, so why shouldn't your team's headshots follow the same rule? With AI headshots, it's easier to present your team under a professional light, in a way that is congruent with your business's image.
Crucially, though, businesses need AI headshots because they're simply more attractive and memorable than non-AI ones. A study on the effects of AI headshots on recruiters, for example, determined that over 76% preferred AI-generated images over real ones.
Oh, and if you're worried about people knowing that your company's headshots have been AI-generated, please keep in mind that, according to the same study, the surveyed recruiters were only able to correctly classify images as AI less than 40% of the time!
AI Business Headshots: Use Cases
These are some of the practical uses of AI headshots for small, medium, and large business enterprises:
- Showcasing the team: AI headshots look way better than non-AI ones in your company's "About Us" page, boasting stellar image quality and a cohesive appearance that helps your business look more professional;
- Internal communications: Hard to tell who's who in your company's Slack group? AI headshots can make things clearer in all kinds of internal communications;
- B2B reports: If you're selling to other businesses through white papers or B2B reports, AI headshots can improve the documents's appeal and, once more, help your company look more professional;
- External communications: AI headshots are also incredibly useful for all kinds of external communications, including company newsletters and social media pages. They're especially vital in platforms like LinkedIn, where headshots play an especially important role.
The best part? Creating AI business headshots for your team is fairly easy with dedicated tools like Headshot Kiwi.
How to Create AI Headshots for Your Company
In addition to being one of the highest-rated AI headshot generators on the market, Headshot Kiwi is both simple and quick, a combination that's especially convenient for businesses. Here's how the tool works:
- Create an account on the website and select one of the three available subscription packages, allowing for 40, 120, or 250 headshots per team member;
- Submit 13 selfies of each team member to create their professional AI headshots;
- Enter a few personal details of the team member and review all details before starting the generation;
- Wait for no more than 30-45 minutes to generate up to 250 professional AI headshots;
- Download the generated headshots and incorporate them in your business's website and external/internal communications.
Admittedly, Headshot Kiwi was designed with the needs of individual workers in mind; however, it can be easily adapted for company-wide projects. We suggest the following approach:
- Inform your team that the company is switching to AI headshots;
- Ask each team member to submit 13 selfies that follow some specific rules;
- Generate the headshots either by providing Headshot Kiwi accounts for each team member, or by asking one employee to create all the company's headshots.
If you're looking for a cohesive bunch of AI headshots, make sure you let your team members know about it. Key considerations include the attire used and the headshot's background, as these must be reflective of your company's image and industry sector.
For more detailed information on how to use Headshot Kiwi to generate AI headshots, please check this how-to guide.
What Makes a Good AI Headshot
After generating the AI headshots, it's time to select the best of the bunch before incorporating them into your business's media and online platforms. Here are a few common traits of a high-quality AI headshot:
- It looks real: The headshot is an authentic representation of your team members, featuring no unwanted generative artifacts or weird elements;
- It fits your industry: Are you running a tech start-up? Then, use AI headshots with casual attire and a modern-office background. Is your company in the health sector? Then, go for a more professional look, using lab coats and a laboratory background. In short, make sure that the AI headshots are not out of context and fit your industry to perfection;
- It's clean and professional: Neutral expressions (or perhaps just a confident smile) make your team members look more professional, and so do clean backgrounds.
These notions can help you and your team members to choose the very best AI headshots out of the bundles of 40, 120, or 250 images generated by Headshot Kiwi.
What to Do After Switching From Non-AI to AI Headshots
Have you replaced the old headshots of your company with improved AI versions? The first thing to do is to disclose that the images are AI-generated; remember that study on recruiters and AI that we have mentioned above? Well, it also determined that 88% of the surveyed believe AI headshots should be publicly disclosed as such.
So, while AI-generated headshots are pretty much indistinguishable from "real" images, it can be ethically questionable not to inform your clients of the fact.
Image ownership can also be ethically alarming, so it's equally important to cite the source of the AI-generated headshots. If you use Headshot Kiwi, for example, make sure to include a caption saying something like "This image was generated using Headshot Kiwi".
Conclusion
Switching from non-AI to AI headshots in your business can help you improve the perceived professionalism of your company, get a more cohesive look across different communication channels, and save tons of money and time in traditional photography services.
By incorporating AI headshots in your business, you will also provide your team members with valuable content that they can use outside the company. This means that, at the same time you're improving your business, you will be benefitting your employees and colleagues at an individual level.
Tools like Headshot Kiwi help job seekers stand out in today's swipe culture, and they can surely do the same for your business. Join Headshot Kiwi right now and create a unified brand image across multiple online and offline channels!
