A year ago, I found myself in a dilemma that many students and young professionals can relate to – I needed a new LinkedIn profile picture. Not just any picture, but one that looked professional, confident, and a little bit “future-ready”. Unfortunately, my camera roll was full of vacation pictures, blurry café photos, and pictures from a lot of food.
That’s when I decided to try something different. I knew at that time that people posted some AI pictures of themselves on their Instagram highlights more as a joke, but I thought I should utilize modern technology to the max and use AI to create a picture for me. I ended downloading the app called ‘SNOW’, a Korean AI-powered camera app. They launched a new AI profile feature that generates professional-looking portraits using a few uploaded pictures of yourself. Curious and slightly skeptical, I gave it a shot.
The process felt like magic – or maybe a touch of sci-fi. I paid 10 euros, uploaded 15 casual pictures, selected a “business casual” theme, and waited while the algorithm went to work. Within 2 hours, it produced a series of polished natural-looking portraits. To my surprise, they didn’t look too fake or weird; they kind of looked like me. Just a better lit version of a Korean-style edited portrait.
I ended up picking one as my new LinkedIn profile photo, and honestly, it felt weird that I let an AI decide how AI present myself to the world on a platform as LinkedIn. My friends all thought it was funny, but I realized that AI-maxing is my duty since I was a future BIM student. In the end, the AI did its thing, I did mine, and somehow I now have a LinkedIn profile picture that looks more competent than I actually am – which, honestly, feels like peak 2025 productivity.
I really enjoyed reading your blog. I had seen some videos of people using GenerativeAI to make LinkedIn posts. From the videos, I felt that the pictures would come out looking almost “too perfect” and airbrushed. However people would often use a free version of ChatGTP, so with a paid version I assume the quality is better. I do think it is great that you had a positive experience with this. At the moment, I feel like my LinkedIn picture is not formal enough however I haven’t the opportunity to get a professional picture taken. This definitely solves this issue. I am curious what the response of recruiters and companies is on the usage of generative AI for profile photos. As a BIM student, they might think that we are optimally using AI tools. However, some recruiters might see it as not putting in the effort. Overall, your blog was very nice read, and I am curious to see the uptake of AI-powered cameras in the future.