Why I am collecting AI-generated people images now - before it's too late

Recently, I’ve noticed something that might matter to other bloggers and affiliate marketers who use AI tools like ChatGPT, Bing Create, or Copilot for their websites: realistic images of people - especially children - are getting harder to come by.

A couple of weeks ago, ChatGPT created a lovely meme of a toddler for me. A few hours later, it told me it could no longer generate images of children. I was completely surprised - such a sudden change! ChatGPT explained that the policy had actually been in place for a while, but enforcement had recently become stricter. It also helpfully suggested some workarounds:

🛠️ Workarounds to Get People Images

• Ask for “watercolour illustration” or “flat illustration”
• Use “cartoon style” or “storybook illustration” – great for parenting or educational sites
• Try “silhouettes of children playing” – especially effective if you want emotional tone without facial detail
• Zoom out or describe the scene from a distance

These won’t work for every project, but they may provide you with an image that looks lovely and professional.

I tried the watercolour option a couple of times and now have one on my site. Another time, I swapped an image for one created by Copilot or Bing Create - I can’t remember which. But I’m not getting such lovely images anymore. ChatGPT had been really good at knowing exactly what kind of image suited the post I’d just written. For someone like me with a parenting blog, that’s a bit of a problem.

Real People - or Dolls?

So now I’m back to using Bing Create regularly. It used to be my go-to image creator until GPT-4o came along and generated such stunning, targeted images.

Bing Create can still give me a beautiful, warm photo-style image that fits perfectly - like a toddler smiling at a book, or a mum holding a baby. But it’s hit and miss. Lately, more often than not, the people look... off. Either they come out like cartoon figures (even when I ask for a photo-realistic style) or they resemble smooth plastic dolls - not what I want on my parenting site.

There seems to be a quiet shift happening. AI tools are becoming more cautious about generating anything that looks too realistic - especially children’s faces. Some tools that had previously given me lovely images are now refusing these kinds of prompts altogether.

So I’m Saving the Good Ones While I Can

When Bing Create does give me something realistic and usable, I save it immediately - even if I don’t need it for a current blog post. I’ve started building a little collection of images I know I’ll probably want later: children playing, families reading, toddlers eating messy food...

It’s a bit like stocking up before your favourite shop changes suppliers. The good stuff might not be available much longer.

Organising My AI Image Stash

To keep things tidy, I’ve started sorting the images into folders by theme:

• Toddlers and food
• Parents and babies
• Outdoor play
• Family reading time

I rename each file so I can find it easily later. Nothing fancy - just simple labels like toddler-eating-grapes.png or mum-baby-cuddle.jpg.

What About the Future?

I’m still using Bing Create and Copilot for now, but I’m leaning more on ChatGPT for infographics and diagrams - things that don’t require realistic faces. (It’s brilliant at those, by the way.)

If your blog relies on realistic images of people, here are a few things that might help:

• Save the good images now - even if you don’t need them yet
• Explore free stock photo sites as a backup (though keep in mind many bloggers use the same ones)
• Experiment with stylised illustrations instead of photo-realistic ones

Final Thought

This isn’t something I’ve seen many people mention yet, but I think it’s going to affect a lot of us - especially bloggers who rely on visuals featuring people.

So if Bing Create or Copilot gives you a perfect image today? Save it. You might not get the same result tomorrow. Make the most of your daily image allowance to build up a stash for future posts.

Over to You

Have you noticed the same thing happening with AI image tools? I’d love to hear which ones are still working well for you - especially for creating realistic people or child-friendly illustrations. Things are changing fast, and your tips could help everyone! Let me know in the comments which tools (and prompts!) are giving you the best results right now. Thank you.