![\"Katya](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_264269196-c7a8.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe photo isn\u2019t real. It\u2019s AI (Picture: Katya Varbanova)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tThe photo isn\u2019t real. It\u2019s AI (Picture: Katya Varbanova)<\/p>\n
The photo of me on a cliff in Santorini is \u2013 and there\u2019s no other word \u2013 iconic. I look glamorous and free; utterly myself.<\/p>\n
With the sun setting behind me, the hot-pink maxi I\u2019m wearing is billowing in the wind.<\/p>\n
And every time I look at it, I feel a mix of awe, pride and nostalgic \u2013 all for a moment that didn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n
Because I\u2019ve never been to Santorini. And I\u2019ve never worn that dress.<\/p>\n
The photo isn\u2019t real. It\u2019s AI.<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s not a real memory but it still serves a real purpose. <\/p>\n As the founder of a social media and AI marketing company, filming video content and social media shoots were part of my day-to-day. Being visible is my entire job.<\/p>\n I loved the creativity and being in front of the camera. It made me feel alive, confident, connected. I\u2019d fly across the world for shoots and events, grow my network, and boost my visibility \u2013 images built my business.<\/p>\n Then, in October 2024, I got sick.<\/p>\n \t\t Out of nowhere, I started reacting to everything \u2013 including food, perfume, dust, my own bed sheets \u2013 and get burning, itchy rashes on my face and body.<\/p>\n Within weeks, the rashes became so frequent, my anxiety skyrocketed and I didn\u2019t recognise myself in the mirror, let alone be on camera. My face would get inflamed and red, I\u2019d calm it with a wet towel, then another rash would show up somewhere else.<\/p>\n Some nights, I\u2019d only sleep after two-hour meditations because my anxiety was so high, and I\u2019d still wake up in the night with uncontrollable reactions.<\/p>\n I had to stop travelling, filming and doing the shoots I love and take a three-month health sabbatical to work with specialist doctors, whose treatments and diet gradually helped.<\/p>\n When I got back to work, rebuilding my brand, I was emotionally and physically drained. I had to find a new way to show up that didn\u2019t involve being on camera every day.<\/p>\n That\u2019s when I thought about AI.<\/p>\n With today\u2019s AI tools, anyone can create images of themselves in any outfit, location or pose without glamming up, being on camera or travelling. You can simply upload a few selfies, add a prompt and tweak the images until you see what you desire.<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t I\u2019d already seen what was possible. My team had played around with AI while I was recovering, but I had always been skeptical, fearing they images would look nothing like me.<\/a><\/p>\n I regularly used AI tools for research, productivity and copywriting but I hadn\u2019t yet seen anyone whose AI photos looked realistic.<\/p>\n After a few weeks, however, my team encouraged me to try, so I uploaded 24 photos from my camera into an AI tool and gave it a prompt: \u2018Editorial-style photo of [me] walking in Dubai with Burj Al Arab in the background\u2019<\/p>\n When the images generated, I stared at them in disbelief.<\/a><\/p>\n It was me. Not a cartoon version or some uncanny valley deepfake<\/a>; it looked like I had just flown in, posed like a pro and nailed every shot.<\/p>\n When I showed my fianc\u00e9, friends, clients and even my family, their jaws were on the floor.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018You\u2019re joking \u2013 this is totally you!\u2019 \u2018There\u2019s no way!\u2019 \u2018Wait\u2026 How do I do that?\u2019<\/p>\n I realised that AI could change everything for me. <\/a>For the first time ever, I could have complete freedom of expression and full creative control<\/a> over my online presence.\u00a0<\/p>\n AI Katya has since travelled to Paris<\/a>, the Maldives<\/a>, New York<\/a> and more. She\u2019s posed in \u00a36,000 a night villas I\u2019ve never stepped foot in and done the Nicki Minaj challenge of posing on one foot in heels in New York\u2019s Times Square.<\/p>\n When it comes to choosing locations and scenarios, some are things I have done in real life; others, I visualise for fun or to showcase what the tech can do as an AI content educator.<\/p>\n Of course, AI forces us to confront big issues<\/a>. I disagree with people who use it to mislead or misinform<\/a>, including those who hide that their AI photos are AI<\/a>, and people who replicate other people\u2019s photos as their own. I always disclose when a photo that I\u2019m posting publicly is AI, because I believe in transparency.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019re using AI to express yourself or tell a story creatively in your own way, and you\u2019re upfront and honest about it, that\u2019s not only OK \u2013 I predict it\u2019s going to become the norm.<\/p>\n \t\t This technology is already used in Vogue.<\/a> Companies look for AI skills in your resume. It\u2019s becoming part of how we connect online \u2013 and the better you understand it, the less likely you are to be fooled by it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to be careful if you experiment with your looks<\/a>. If you always create photos of yourself 15 years younger or 20kgs slimmer, you might end up more self-conscious than before you started.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n But using technology to enhance our looks is nothing new<\/a>; people have been using FaceTune and Photoshop for years without disclosing a single thing.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tWhat do you think about the use of AI-generated photos for social media?<\/p>\n It’s a great innovation and tool.Check<\/p>\n It might cause problems with authenticity.Check<\/p>\n I prefer real photos for online presence.Check<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tJoin us each week as hear from the people going through familial estrangement, for worse and for better.<\/p>\n Soon, most people will have an AI version of themselves, whether it\u2019s to try on outfits virtually, test haircuts before committing or creating photos for their vision board. I use AI to test certain aesthetics for fun and to see how certain outfits or hair styles would look.<\/p>\n For my vision boards, I\u2019ve created pictures of \u2018me\u2019 giving keynote speeches on giant stages, which inspire to work towards my big goals.<\/p>\n While using AI is a key part of my creative process, it\u2019s not the entire process. Sometimes, the AI can make you taller, younger, or slimmer even if you don\u2019t specifically prompt for that, but I prefer photos that look so real, even my family can\u2019t believe they\u2019re AI.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t want people to think I am in the Maldives; my goal is to show them what can be done with the technology. That honesty is what makes using this technology feel empowering, not inauthentic.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also what makes the majority of my followers love the AI photos \u2013 I bring stunning ideas to life even real cameras can\u2019t, like me flying in the sky.<\/p>\n \t\t Strangers do come across my photos and call them fake and shallow (as if social media was ever pure and unadulterated to begin with). Most of what you see on social media is a curated highlight reel. Some of it is completely fake, using green screens, or private jet studio rentals; some is heavily edited.<\/p>\n For me, AI has been a lifeline. It gave me back a sense of normalcy when I felt sick and powerless, and it\u2019s brought me fun and joy and given me hope that soon enough, I\u2019ll be able to travel again. <\/p>\n I look forward to the day I am able to take a flight to Santorini and do a real shoot.<\/p>\n But until I\u2019m well enough to get back to visiting the studio, AI Katya is taking over the show.<\/p>\n And honestly, she\u2019s killing it.<\/p>\n Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Share your views in the comments below.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Katya](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_264269297-e1764759159387.jpg\")
\n\t\tThis photo and dress aren\u2019t real \u2013 I used AI to create it (Picture: Katya Varbanova)<\/p>\n![\"Katya](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_264269299-4bb7-e1764759322860.jpg\")
\n\t\tI hadn\u2019t yet seen anyone whose AI photos looked realistic (Picture: Katya Varbanova)<\/p>\n![\"Katya](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_264269022-73c8.jpg\")
\n\t\tI want to visualise for fun or to showcase what the tech can do (Picture: Katya Varbanova)<\/p>\n![\"Katya](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_264269290-693c.jpg\")
\n\t\tBut using technology to enhance our looks is nothing new (Picture: Katya Varbanova)<\/p>\n![\"Katya](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_264269018-5f63.jpg\")
\n\t\tI bring stunning ideas to life even real cameras can\u2019t (Picture: Viral Marketing Stars\u00ae)<\/p>\n
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