Google Images may soon become a problem for photographers (but you can fight back)

Right now, for many photographers, Google Image search is a friend. It drives traffic to our websites, helped potential clients discover their work, and gives them a fighting chance in the digital marketplace. 

But there's a snake in this garden of Eden: AI photorealistic imagery. 

I'll be frank: at the moment, this doesn't seem to be much of a problem. Whatever type of search you do, real photography still dominates, because that's what dominates the majority of websites.

But will that continue? Crucially, Google has stated that AI images won't be penalized in search rankings. And unlike its rival DuckDuckGo, it's not giving users the choice to opt out of AI images either. 

So I can forsee a future in which our carefully crafted photography will get buried under a flurry of photorealistic, AI-generated pictures. And that's a problem.

The AI flood

Look on social media specifically, and you'll notice these synthetic images are everywhere now. They're cheap, they're fast, and they're flooding Facebook faster than you can say "aperture priority". 

It's like showing up to a craft fair only to find that 90% of the booths are selling mass-produced knockoffs – except these knockoffs are so convincing that most people can't tell the difference.

To their credit, Google has taken steps to protect their search platform. Most notably, they've introduced labeling systems that can mark images as "AI-generated" or "AI-manipulated." 

But if the flood begins, will anyone actually notice, or care about this labelling? If (as I suspect) they won't, then content farms will be able to pump out thousands of synthetic images to game the system, and Google's algorithms will treat them just like your painstakingly crafted photographs. 

What you can do

If the flood currently sweeping Facebook does move to search, what's the solution? Well, ultimately Google's one of the world's biggest companies and it's going to do what it wants. But there are ways you can at least ensure your real-life photos still have a fighting chance of surfacing on its platform. 

Become a metadata master.
Start embedding detailed information into your images using IPTC and C2PA standards. This is basically like a digital fingerprint that proves you were behind the camera. Include licensing details and structured data on your web pages too – giving search engines every reason to recognize your work as the real deal.

Make authenticity your superpower.
In a world of AI images, being genuine becomes incredibly valuable. So share your process, post behind-the-scenes content, tell the story behind each shot. When people can see the human element – the early morning wake-up call, the challenging shoot conditions, the creative decisions – your work will stand apart even more.

Play to your human advantage.
Here's something AI can't do: physically show up. So focus on events, breaking news, specific assignments, and anything that requires a photographer to be physically present. While AI might create a decent image of a sunset, it can't capture your client's wedding or document a local news story.

Build your own ecosystem.
Don't put all your eggs in Google's basket. Cultivate direct relationships with clients, build an email list, create social media communities around your work. In short, connect with people who value authentic photography.

Ultimately, the AI flood isn't going anywhere. But neither are photographers. We just need to get better at swimming.