OUR AI-MANIFESTO
BY HUMANS - FOR HUMANS
At Westend61, authentic, human-created photography takes center stage. In an era when artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the visual world, we are increasingly hearing a valid question from our customers: What exactly am I buying from you?
Our position is clear: Our images are created by humans – for humans.
We’ve written this manifesto so you’ll always know what you can expect from Westend61. It’s our promise to you and our commitment to authentic photography.
NO PURELY SYNTHETIC WORLDS
We do not sell images that are 100% generated by AI. We are committed to photography, not to prompting. . If you’re looking for authentic photography at Westend61, you won’t accidentally license a purely machine-generated image.
When you buy from us, you can be sure that the image is based on an actual photograph.
100% REAL PEOPLE - NO SYNTHETIC FACES
This is our top priority and our strongest promise:
At Westend61, all the faces are real.
Every person whose eyes you see in our photos actually exists. They stood in front of the camera in real life, and we have a legally valid, signed model release. We strictly reject artificially generated people. Genuine empathy and credible testimonials cannot be calculated.
AI AS A TOOL—NOT AS A CREATOR
We do not refuse technological progress, but we set clear boundaries. We view AI as a modern tool in post-production—essentially as the digital darkroom of today, comparable to retouching, color correction, or traditional compositing techniques. We only permit the use of AI tools as long as the image is clearly based on a photographic image taken independently.
The primary creative work and the copyright always belong to our photographers. The central image motif, the composition, and the lighting are the result of an actual photo shoot.
TRANSPARENT RULES FOR DAILY CREATIVE WORK
To make our images even more versatile for your layouts, we allow our photographers and illustrators to use AI under strict guidelines:
- AI-powered image editing: Generative tools (such as “Generative Fill”) may be used to remove unimportant objects or expand the background, for example, to create more space for your typography.
- Composings with a sense of balance: We accept photo montages containing AI elements—provided they are clearly labeled as such—only if they are based on a photographic work.
- AI Props: The removal of minor details (e.g., a distracting picture on the wall or a mug on the table) is permitted in order to optimize the image for commercial use.
“MADE BY HUMANS” QUALITY SEAL
Copyright, legal compliance for our clients, and human creativity are our highest priorities. We firmly believe that no algorithm in the world can replace a photographer’s vision, the energy on set, or real human connections. AI can support processes—but it cannot capture the authentic life that we seek and curate at Westend61.
When you license an image from Westend61, you always receive the “made by humans” seal of quality, sending a clear message of genuine, human creativity.
