Consent and Likeness: Making AI Images of Friends and Family
A practical guide to asking before you make AI images of other people: what counts as consent, children, people who have died, groups, and what is never fine.
If you want to make an AI image of a friend or family member, ask them first, tell them which tool and where the image will go, and accept a no. That is the whole rule, and it covers cartoons, avatars, age transforms, restored photos and animated clips. The rest of this guide covers the cases where it is less obvious: children, people who have died, group photos, and the things that are never acceptable, whatever anyone agrees to.
Why a face is different
A landscape restyled as a watercolour harms nobody. A face is someone's identity. An AI image of a person can be mistaken for a real photo, can be screenshotted and shared out of context, and can stay online for years. Even a harmless cartoon can embarrass someone who did not expect to see their face in it.
That is why Kitana's Acceptable Use Policy bans non-consensual likeness, deepfakes and face swaps, and why every prompt passes a content moderation check before generation. The policy is the floor. Good manners sit above it.
What real consent looks like
Consent is specific. "Can I use your photo?" is vague. A good ask covers three things:
- The tool. "I want to make a Pixar-style cartoon of you" or "I want to see what we would look like thirty years older."
- The photo. Which photo you will upload. Some people dislike particular photos of themselves.
- Where it goes. Just you, a family chat, your public Instagram, a printed gift.
If they say yes to a private cartoon, that is not a yes to a public post. If they hesitate, treat it as a no.
Quick guide by situation
| Situation | Reasonable approach |
|---|---|
| Friend, private fun | Ask first; share the result with them |
| Friend, public post | Ask about the specific post; let them veto |
| Partner, surprise gift | Only if you know they would welcome it |
| Young child (yours) | Your decision; keep it within family |
| Teenager | Ask them, as you would an adult |
| Someone who has died | Talk to close family; restore rather than animate |
| Colleague | Ask; offer a non-face alternative |
| Stranger or public figure | Do not |
Children
Parents decide for young children, but the child will grow up and see what was made. Some practical rules:
- Keep AI images of children private or within the family.
- Avoid anything a teenager would find mortifying: odd costumes, exaggerated features, fake situations.
- Be careful with tools that make someone look older or younger in ways that could be mistaken for a real photo.
- From the age where they have an opinion, ask them.
People who have died
Restoring an old photo so a face can be seen clearly is widely welcomed. See restoring family photos for an anniversary or memorial. Animating a face is a more personal decision. Some families find a gentle moving portrait comforting; others find it unsettling. Ask the closest relatives first, keep it within the family unless they agree otherwise, and never make the person appear to speak or do something they did not do.
Group photos
Every face in a group photo needs a yes, not just the person who took it. The simplest route is to ask in the group chat before generating: "Can I make a cartoon version of this for the reunion?" If one person objects, crop them out or pick another photo.
Never acceptable
Some things are not fixed by consent and are banned outright:
- Sexual or nude images of real people
- Face swaps and deepfakes that put someone's face on another body or in a fake event
- Images designed to mock, harass or humiliate
- Images of strangers, or of public figures presented as real photos
- Anything involving minors in inappropriate contexts
The moderation check screens prompts before anything is generated, but the responsibility for what you upload and share is yours. The broader background is in the ethics of AI-generated photos.
Handling other people's photos carefully
When you upload someone else's photo, you are also responsible for their data. In Kitana, photos are used only to make the result, EXIF and GPS data are stripped, no biometric identifiers are kept, and free results are deleted after seven days. Tell your friend that when you ask; it tends to be the first question. More in how AI photo apps protect your data and the privacy policy.
Tools where this matters most
Consent matters most on the tools that are about a face: avatars, cartoons, age transform, yearbook and photo to video. Several of these support identity lock, which makes the result look more like the real person; that is exactly why the person should agree to it.
A worked example: a family reunion
Someone is organising a reunion and has three ideas: cartoon versions of everyone for name badges, an age-transform game ("guess who this is at seventy"), and a baby-generator joke for a newly engaged cousin.
- Cartoon badges. They message the family group with a sample of their own cartoon and ask who wants one. Most say yes; two prefer their name only. Fine.
- Age game. They ask each person privately, since some people dislike seeing themselves older. Five agree.
- Baby generator. They ask the engaged couple first, privately. The baby generator uses two people's faces, so both have to agree, and some couples find the subject personal, especially if they have been trying for a child. This couple laughs and says yes, but asks that it is shown only at the reunion, not posted. That condition is respected.
Nothing here needed a policy document. It needed asking each person, specifically, before generating.
A step list for asking
- Show an example of the style, ideally made from your own photo.
- Name the photo you want to use.
- Say where the result will appear.
- Offer an easy way to say no.
- Share the result with them before anyone else.
- Delete or keep private anything they are unhappy with.
Common mistakes
- Treating a group chat reaction as consent from everyone. Quiet people often do not object in public.
- Assuming consent for one image covers the next. A yes to a cartoon is not a yes to an animation.
- Posting before showing. The person should see it first.
- Using an unflattering photo. Ask which photo they would like used.
- Joking about sensitive topics. Age, weight and fertility can hurt. Ask privately.
- Thinking private means harmless. Private images get forwarded. Make only what you would be comfortable with them seeing.
If someone asks you to take an image down
It happens: someone agreed, then changed their mind, or saw an image shared further than expected. Take it down without argument, remove it from any group chats you control, and delete your copy if they ask. Say sorry once and move on. Their comfort outweighs a joke or a nice post, and handling it gracefully is what keeps people willing to say yes next time.
It also helps to think ahead. Before you share, ask yourself whether you would be comfortable if the person saw exactly where it went. If the answer is no, do not share it there.
The same applies to images you made for yourself that include other people in the background. If a friend is recognisable behind you, crop them out or ask before posting.
The short version
Ask first. Be specific. Accept a no. Share the result with them before anyone else. If you follow those four, the tools are simply fun.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I really need permission to make a fun AI picture of a friend?
- Yes. It is their face. Most friends will say yes, and asking lets them say no to a tool, a style or a place it is shared. The Acceptable Use Policy bans non-consensual likeness, so asking is also a condition of using the tools.
- What about photos of my own children?
- Parents or guardians decide for young children, but think about the child's future view of the image. Keep results private or within the family, avoid anything a teenager would find embarrassing later, and let older children decide for themselves.
- Is it fine to restore or animate a photo of someone who has died?
- Restoring photos of relatives is a long tradition. Animating a face is a bigger step. Talk to close family first, keep it within the family unless they agree otherwise, and never make the person appear to say or do something.
- What is never acceptable?
- Sexual or nude images of real people, face swaps and deepfakes that make someone appear to do something they did not, images meant to mock or harass, and images of strangers or public figures presented as real. These are banned by the Acceptable Use Policy and every prompt is screened before generation.
- Does Kitana keep my friends' faces?
- No biometric identifiers are kept. Photos are used only to make the result, EXIF and GPS data are stripped, and free results are deleted after seven days.
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