Add an AI clause to your contracts: This is the single most effective immediate action available to photographers who work with clients directly. Here is language you can adapt:
"Client agrees not to use any Work Product created by Photographer in connection with artificial intelligence or machine learning systems, including for training, generating, or manipulating visual content. This restriction applies in perpetuity."
Ask questions before you sign: If you contribute to any publication, ask directly whether your contract includes Work Made for Hire language, unlimited sublicensing rights, or AI training permissions. You have the right to negotiate, ask questions, and say no.
Protect your images technically: Glaze and Nightshade are free tools developed by researchers at the University of Chicago that offer a layer of technical protection against AI training use. Glaze masks your artistic style to prevent AI from mimicking it. Nightshade poisons training data, degrading a model's accuracy when it scrapes protected images. Both are available at glaze.cs.uchicago.edu.
Note: AI companies may develop workarounds over time — these tools are one layer of protection, not a complete solution.
Follow the legislation: Two bills currently moving through Congress are worth tracking: the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act (H.R. 7913), which would require AI companies to disclose which copyrighted works trained their models, and the Visual Artists Copyright Reform Act (VACRA) of 2025, which seeks to modernize copyright protections for the AI era. Track both at congress.gov.
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Explore resources on this site:
FAQs: Your Visual Colleagues put this together to answer the questions we hear most from photographers who have signed our statement — and those who are still deciding.
AI and Photojournalism: The introduction of AI into newsrooms puts truth, trust, and the safety of the people we photograph at risk. Here's why it matters.
AI and Commercial Photography: From ad campaigns to stock libraries, AI is displacing photographers and dismantling the client relationships that sustain commercial careers.
The WSJ Contract: Publications like The Wall Street Journal are rewriting the terms of freelance photography. Here's how we got here — and what the fine print actually means.
Understanding Your Contract: Three contract terms every photographer needs to know — and what to do if you find them in your agreement.
What You Can Do: Concrete steps photographers can take right now to protect their work, their archive, and the people they photograph.
Resources: Organizations, tools, and legislation for photographers navigating the age of AI.