I do not think it is ethical to include AI-generated images in webpages that are being built out for financial purposes. It's very difficult to determine what went into a particular model. This means that there is a risk that illicit, inappropriate, and/or illegal content could accidentally make its way into a component of your artwork and cause problems. Furthermore, model output could be very similar to copyrighted material that was trained on. It is possible that someone could generate something that infringes on copyright. Regardless of intent, this could lead to lawsuits over intellectual property theft/copyright infringement. Due to this, I would recommend being cautious regarding using AI "artwork", especially from a liability standpoint.
I see AI generated visuals as ethical when they are honest, responsibly sourced and used for the right purpose. People rarely object to automation itself. They object to hidden data use and misleading results. AI works best for functional and replaceable visuals like simple charts, draft icons or rough header ideas. It should not be used for core brand artwork or storytelling visuals. Always choose tools with clear licensing rules. If rights cannot be confirmed, do not publish the asset. Adding a brief disclosure in the editorial process helps maintain trust with readers. Clear boundaries also matter. Avoid prompts that mimic living artists or recognizable brands. Keep records of prompts, reviews and edits. If an issue appears, remove the asset quickly and treat it as a learning step.
The ethical debate surrounding AI-generated artwork has less to do with the final product and much more to do with the "consent gap" that occurs during training. Most companies that utilize AI-generated content are too focused on the speed of creating a blog title within a few seconds and don't consider the ethical debt of utilizing AI models that are trained on data scraped from sources without the permission of the artists who created the materials being used to develop the algorithms. The results of our research show that approximately 74% of artists feel that their work being used without compensation for training AI constitutes a serious breach of ethical behavior within the professional community. By utilizing these types of tools and resources without a governance model in place to cover the use of the tools, you are putting yourself in a position to profit from the absence of digital labor rights. The only way to regain the trust that has been lost due to the use of AI-generated content is through transparency. The consistent lack of authenticity shown by brands when passing off synthetic media as human content is why so many companies suffer from a loss of perceived credibility. In order to utilize AI ethically, the creative process must include a "human-in-the-loop" process whereby, although AI is a support tool for the brainstorming process, it should not actually replace the entire creative process that occurs within the human being. The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer showed that only 30% of the population worldwide trusts AI, primarily due to their lack of understanding of how AI is being governed. To utilize AI to create graphics and diagrams, users must provide the necessary disclosures about the use of AI to create the artwork. Providing clear disclosures regarding your use of AI should not just be viewed as a courtesy, but rather as an essential step within the overall governance framework that should be established to prevent you from misleading your audience. In conclusion, the goal of using AI should be to enhance, not to replace human creative efforts. When utilizing AI, it is essential to select the models that are trained on licensed datasets and to provide oversight of the creative process in order to identify the inherent biases that are typically Eurocentric or stereotypical in nature that will be exacerbated when using such models.