How do you use AI for images and video responsibly?

What these tools are good for

AI image and video tools can produce a background, a concept illustration, a seasonal graphic or a short animated clip in minutes. Good uses include:

• Illustrations of ideas, such as "a calm, organized home office" for a post about decluttering
• Backgrounds and textures for promotional graphics
• Mock-ups to show a designer what you have in mind
• Clearly stylized or animated content that no one would mistake for a real photo

The responsibility questions start when AI content looks real.

Do not show what did not happen

The simplest rule: AI content should never mislead a customer about your actual products, work, people or results.

• Do not use an AI image of a finished kitchen as if it were a project you completed.
• Do not use an AI photo of a car as if it were a specific vehicle on your lot.
• Do not create AI "customers" giving testimonials.
• Do not show a property feature that is not there.

The Federal Trade Commission's advertising guidance says advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive, and advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims [1]. Its final rule on fake reviews and testimonials, announced in August 2024, specifically covers reviews and testimonials that claim to come from someone who does not exist, such as AI-generated fake reviews [8]. Treat AI content in your marketing with the same honesty rules as the rest of your advertising.

Real people need real permission

Do not put a real person's likeness or voice into AI content without their clear, written permission. That includes employees, customers, public figures and people who look like them. Describe how the content will be used, and keep a record.

Voices matter as much as faces. The Federal Communications Commission has ruled that AI-generated voices, including cloned voices, are "artificial" voices under federal robocall law, which generally means calls using them need the called person's prior consent [2].

Platform disclosure rules

The major platforms ask creators to label realistic AI content. The YouTube rules below are as of October 2026; the Meta and TikTok statements are dated as shown. Platforms update these rules, so confirm the current version before you post.

YouTube. Creators must disclose AI content that makes a real person appear to say or do something they did not, alters footage of a real event or place, generates a realistic scene that did not happen, or creates music that is the main focus of the video [3]. Clearly unrealistic content and minor edits, such as color adjustment or beauty filters, generally do not need disclosure [3]. You make the disclosure during upload in YouTube Studio, and YouTube states that disclosing will not limit a video's audience or its ability to earn money [3].

Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads). In February 2024, Meta said it would require people to use its disclosure tool when posting photorealistic video or realistic-sounding audio that was digitally created or altered, and that it may apply penalties if they do not [4]. Meta also adds "AI info" labels when it detects industry-standard AI signals or when people self-disclose [5].

TikTok. In May 2024, TikTok said it has required creators to label realistic AI-generated content, and that it began automatically labeling some AI content made on other platforms by reading Content Credentials [6].

Content Credentials are an open technical standard, developed by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), that records where a piece of digital content came from and how it was edited [7]. Because platforms can read them, a post may be labeled as AI even if you did not disclose it.

When unsure, disclose. A short line such as "Image created with AI" costs nothing and builds trust.

Check every image before it goes out

AI image tools can make small mistakes that a quick look misses. Before posting, zoom in and check:

• Words in the image. Signs, labels, prices, phone numbers and your business name can come out misspelled or garbled. Read every letter.
• Hands, faces and fingers. Extra or missing fingers and odd faces can appear.
• Logos and brand marks. AI may produce near-copies of other companies' logos. Remove them.
• Physical details. Doors that lead nowhere, mismatched reflections, objects melting into each other.
• Facts. Is the product shown actually what you sell? Is the season, location or setting accurate?

A safer approach for text: generate the image without words, then add your text yourself in a design tool where you control the spelling.

Common mistakes

Passing AI images off as real work. Customers who find out may question everything else you have shown them.

Skipping the text check. A misspelled business name is an avoidable embarrassment.

Using a real person's likeness without permission. This includes "lookalikes" designed to resemble someone.

Ignoring platform labels. Not disclosing realistic AI content can lead to penalties on some platforms.

Worked example

A real estate agent wants a graphic for a "first-time buyer workshop" post.

She asks an AI tool for a warm, stylized illustration of a front door with a "Welcome" mat. The first version has a garbled word on the mat, so she regenerates it without text and adds "First-Time Buyer Workshop, Saturday 10 AM" herself in a design tool. She checks the image at full size, confirms there are no stray logos, and adds "Illustration created with AI" to the caption.

She does not use AI to create an image of an actual listing. For listings, she uses real photos of the real property, because buyers rely on them to understand what is there.

Checklist

• The AI content illustrates an idea; it does not pretend to show real work, products or people.
• I have written permission for any real person's likeness or voice.
• I followed the platform's disclosure rules for realistic AI content.
• I checked every word, hand, face and logo at full size.
• I added my own text in a design tool where possible.

Try it

Create one AI illustration for an upcoming post. Before using it, zoom in and run the full check: words, hands, faces, logos, physical details and facts. Then find the AI disclosure setting in your platform's upload screen.

Tips

• Generate images without text, then add words yourself.
• Use stylized or illustrated looks when you do not need realism.
• Keep a simple record of which posts used AI images.
• When in doubt, add a short "created with AI" note.

Sources

1. Federal Trade Commission, "Advertising FAQ's," FTC business guidance, https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/advertising-faqs-guide-small-business
2. Federal Communications Commission, "FCC Makes AI-Generated Voices in Robocalls Illegal," news release, February 8, 2024, https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-makes-ai-generated-voices-robocalls-illegal
3. YouTube Help, "Disclosing use of GenAI content," https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/14328491
4. Meta, "Labeling AI-Generated Images on Facebook, Instagram and Threads," February 6, 2024, https://about.fb.com/news/2024/02/labeling-ai-generated-images-on-facebook-instagram-and-threads/
5. Meta, "Our Approach to Labeling AI-Generated Content and Manipulated Media," April 5, 2024, updated September 12, 2024, https://about.fb.com/news/2024/04/metas-approach-to-labeling-ai-generated-content-and-manipulated-media/
6. TikTok, "Partnering with our industry to advance AI transparency and literacy," May 9, 2024, https://newsroom.tiktok.com/partnering-with-our-industry-to-advance-ai-transparency-and-literacy?lang=en
7. Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), https://c2pa.org/
8. Federal Trade Commission, "Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials," press release, August 14, 2024, https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/08/federal-trade-commission-announces-final-rule-banning-fake-reviews-testimonials