Lesson 4 of 5 · about 5 min
Consent, rights and respect
When you finish, you can check consent and rights before using someone's face, voice or work.
Stuck? Ask the AI tutorFaces and voices belong to people
AI can place a person's face in a picture or copy a voice. That power needs consent. Never make an AI image, video or voice of a real person to say or do something they did not agree to, especially if it could embarrass, mislead or harm them.
This includes friends, coworkers, public figures and children. For jokes among friends, ask first. For anything shared widely or for money, get clear permission in writing.
Other people's creative work
Pictures, songs and writing usually belong to someone. Asking an AI tool to copy a living artist's exact style or a specific work can cause trouble. Laws differ by country and are changing, so this is not legal advice.
Safer habits: describe the look you want in general terms rather than naming a living creator, start from your own material when you can, and read the tool's terms about who owns and may use the output.
Know what you upload
Pictures and recordings you upload may include faces, voices, license plates, children or private spaces. Think about whether you have the right to share them with the tool. Many tools save inputs, so check privacy settings and policies.
Weak: uploading a classmate's photo to make a funny clip without asking. Strong: using your own photo, or asking the person and showing them what you plan to make.
A worked example
Marcus, a community radio volunteer in Glasgow, wants a historical voice reading old letters. He could copy a famous voice, but he does not have permission. Instead he chooses a generic synthetic voice offered by his tool and credits the letters' source.
He has avoided a consent problem and kept the project honest. Ask, credit, and use what you have the right to use.
Practice now
- Write a short consent message you could send to a friend before using their photo or voice in a project.
- Read the terms or help page of one creative AI tool you use. Write down who owns the output and whether commercial use is allowed.
Use any AI assistant you have. Do not paste private, client or patient information into it.
Check yourself
1. When is it acceptable to make a realistic video of a real person saying something?
2. What is safer when asking for a style?
3. Why think before uploading photos to a tool?
Ask the AI tutor
Ask anything about this lesson, in any language. The tutor is an AI: it can be wrong, and it never needs your personal details.
AI-drafted. Checked by an automated validator and a separate AI reviewer; a person has not read every lesson. Translations and tutor answers are AI-made. Found a mistake? Tell us. AI can be wrong. General information only, not professional advice. Not affiliated with any AI company named. Current University is not accredited.