AI keywording tools are fast and affordable, but using them without proper checking can expose your organisation to serious legal and reputational risk. Keywording may look harmless — just short descriptive terms — yet one incorrect or misleading tag can be enough to cause damage.
Consider a simple “what-if.” If an archive mistakenly applies a keyword that suggests a living person is a criminal when they aren’t, that person could sue for defamation. The fact that the word came from an algorithm wouldn’t be a defence; responsibility lies with whoever publishes the image and metadata.
AI is good at detecting faces and matching patterns, but it doesn’t necessarily understand identity or context. It might see a man in a courtroom and assume “criminal trial” or “defendant.” It doesn’t know whether he’s a lawyer, witness or journalist. Those few inaccurate keywords can turn an innocent photo into a legal liability.
Model releases and privacy restrictions (especially for images of children) also have their perils when restrictions on use are ignored by AI.
The same applies to sensitive topics like politics, religion or race. AI can’t tell when a tag could cause offence or misrepresentation. That’s why human oversight is critical.
At Picsell Media, our AI Professional workflow always includes commonsense manual verification. Our editors review people, location and event-related keywords generated by AI, deleting speculative or misleading ones and ensuring that remaining tags are appropriate and low risk.
That extra layer of protection is inexpensive compared to the potential cost of getting it wrong. A single legal dispute can wipe out years of savings due to unchecked automation.
AI keywording is a powerful ally, but it’s not infallible. Used responsibly — with human quality control — it delivers efficiency and reliability. Used recklessly, it creates legal and ethical hazards.
The rule is simple: trust automation for speed, but verify for truth. Your reputation, and possibly your balance sheet, depend on it.