A Message on A.I.

On November 14, 2024, the Magnum Board of Photographers issued the following statement concerning artificial intelligence and its position on synthetic images in the cooperative’s 77-year-old archive: 

“Magnum Photos respects and values the creative freedom of our photographers, supporting their diverse explorations and perspectives. However, our archive and distribution system will remain dedicated exclusively to photographic images taken by humans and that reflect real events and stories, in keeping with Magnum’s legacy and commitment to documentary tradition. Synthetic images will not be included in our archive.”  

Last year, in 2023, Magnum, as a cooperative, joined Writing With Light, a group of individuals and organizations that advocate for authenticity and credibility in nonfiction photography. 

“Writing With Light is a movement to support nonfiction photography in which the integrity of the photographer, as the author of the image, is considered to be paramount in establishing the photograph’s veracity,” its website describes, in which “nonfiction photography” is defined as a “recording of the visible in which the photographer strives to represent actualities (events, people, etc.) in a fair and accurate manner with appropriate context.” 

 In its Statement of Principles, Writing With Light covers three crucial rules:

1. As recordings of the visible, journalistic photographs must be fair and accurate representations of what the photographer witnessed.

2. Neither alterations to a photograph that mislead the public, nor staging events while depicting them as spontaneous, are acceptable in journalism. Nor should one publish a photorealistic synthetic image made by artificial intelligence and pretend that it is an actual photograph.

3. Any deviations to these basic principles must be explained in a caption, credit, or appropriate icon.

For more information, please visit wwlight.org.