Advice regarding uploading personal image to LLMs?

@Usef raises some very good points here and is a bit of a dilemma everyone will experience at some point whether that be in their professional or personal* lives.

Sticking to the case in point, there’s some ethical and contractural points you raise, as well as legal ones regarding DPA, GDPR and even Human Rights - depending on where you are there may be more or less. Whether that is how the employer processes your data and also what you’re agreeable to and protections in law.

Many years ago, an employer sent me to have a professional image taken to be printed on business cards. Fine, I thought. However, a year or so later they revamped their website and put everyone’s images on there. I complained but was seen as ‘the awkward child’. I parted ways shortly after.

Since then, I’ve worked in places where articles were written and where I have been quoted. Again, I did not want my image published. Some have been fine with this, but some were very awkward about it.

This was before ‘AI’ as we now know it. I’d be deeply concerned and insistent on not processing my data in this way. I absolutely get your point and concerned by:

Usef:

But my company (first one btw so I don’t know too much about corporate culture yet) rejected that as they wanted to test AI software for image generation

And

Usef:

google’s gemini

And

Usef:

but my company wanted to cover normal every day selfies and use the AI to convert them into professional images, so they could test AI software for future usecases.

That is an absolute “NO ” from me and I’d point blank refuse irrespective of whatever nefarious ways they would try and discredit me. But I do appreciate this isn’t easy, especially as you’re new to the corporate world. What is encouraging, though, is that you’ve come here and raised some good points and critical thinking.

Out of interest, how did you “reject their offer of using an AI” initially? How did that go? Did your contract include any such clause? Does your employer tell you they use Google to process your data? What is their stance on biometric data processing? Do they have a specific AI policy?

Usef:

generated by that free software was really good

It wasn’t “free”. Nothing is “free” and you will have signed part of your data soul away here. On this “free” site, what did it say in their privacy terms or other terms and conditions?

This dilemma is well documented recently across many legal sites and parliaments:

Some articles (click for more details)

As for your question around privacy-respecting AI, there are some solutions out there but I’d urge caution. Some purport to provider higher levels of privacy such as Stable Diffusion and zsky. Or Topaz Labs. You need to be looking at where images are uploaded and how they are stored (if they even are - some will be at device level but may require further download of software). The above are not my recommendations as it would require further research.

Off Topic *Personal (click for more details)