Here’s what happened when I proved an AI skeptic wrong…
“Don’t use AI for headshots or video. Everyone will know they’re fake.”
That’s what a self-proclaimed LinkedIn expert told me a few weeks ago.
He said I had to spend $400 with a professional photographer because I’d grown facial hair and looked older. “No AI,” he warned.
Then I showed him my new headshots. He admitted they were “pretty damn good” – but quickly excused himself by saying, “Well, you have the kind of face AI can work with. Mine isn’t.”
The irony? I’ve always thought he’s far better looking than me.
Next, he insisted AI videos were a dead giveaway: “Everyone can tell they’re fake.”
So I tried it anyway. The first versions weren’t great. But I kept refining until the avatar looked and sounded like me — right down to the facial expressions.
When I showed him one of those videos in front of 10 of his clients, I even said it was AI-generated.
He critiqued it at length… but never once mentioned AI. He hadn’t heard me.
Later, when it sank in, he was dumbfounded.
Here’s the lesson: dismissing AI as “fake” misses the bigger picture. Used thoughtfully, it doesn’t make us less authentic. It helps us show up more clearly as ourselves.
Have you tested AI headshots or video yet? Could you tell the difference?
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