What we are allowed to publish

The legal landscape is shifting quickly and varies from country to country. A few reference points still hold, and they're enough to keep you on the right side of the law.

Faces of real people

This is the line not to cross. Creating a realistic image of an existing person in a situation they never experienced opens you up to legal action and, more simply, causes real harm. This applies to public figures as much as to your neighbour.

An obviously drawn illustration is a different matter from a fake photograph: the former deceives no one, the latter is designed to deceive.

Styles of living artists

"In the style of" followed by the name of a living artist is legally murky and ethically questionable. Instead, describe what you actually want: "flat colour blocks, thick outlines, reduced palette" gets the result without leaning on someone's name.

Brands and logos

A logo remains protected, whether generated or not. Don't place it in a commercial image without permission.

Should you label it?

As soon as an image could be mistaken for a photograph, yes. A discreet mention is enough. This isn't just about rules: it's what lets your readers keep trusting the ones that aren't generated.

Several countries already make this labelling mandatory, and the trend is clear.

The simple benchmark

A generated image must never suggest an event that didn't happen. Everything else is up for debate.