AI and Its Place in the Piercing Industry

I never thought I'd find myself writing about AI ethics, false representation, intellectual theft, or feeling compelled to comment on the practices of other businesses.

But here we are.

What is going on out there? It is wild.

It seems the days of having to create your own work are disappearing, and we're entering an age of saturation. Saturation itself isn't the problem - it's when that content isn't built on facts, personal experience or professional knowledge. That's when it becomes dangerous.

In what reality is it okay to generate an AI image of a piercing studio that isn't even your procedure room and advertise it as your business?

In what reality is it okay to generate AI piercing photographs and present them as your work?

They're not real.

They're not your work.

To quote the infamous Jacobim Mugatu:

"The man has only one look, for Christ's sake! Blue Steel? Ferrari? Le Tigra? They're the same face! Doesn't anybody notice this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!"

That's genuinely how I feel sometimes.

When I see a jewellery company using AI to create models wearing their jewellery, I'm far less bothered. They're selling a product. They're not claiming to be skilled practitioners. They're not showcasing their piercing placement, anatomy assessments or photography skills.

As a studio with an online store, I completely understand how much work product photography is.

It takes me around five hours to photograph one hundred jewellery pieces, another five hours to edit them, and close to eight hours to upload everything to the website. I know firsthand how demanding product photography can be.

I'm actually not against AI.

I'm against dishonest AI.

If Bianca takes an incredible photo but there's iodine staining left on the skin, AI can help remove that. That's well beyond my Photoshop skills, and professional photographers already use AI-powered software every day. I understand touch-ups. I understand removing blood. I understand using AI to help create advertisements where no personal service is being represented.

But if you're a practising piercer using AI to create your portfolio...

That honestly blows my mind.

I'd probably feel differently if there was complete transparency.

"AI-generated image. Not a real client. Not our work."

Perfect.

At least people know what they're looking at.

One of the things I genuinely love about AI is seeing how creative people are becoming. It's exciting watching people explore new ways of sharing information and expressing themselves.

But there is a very clear line between using AI as a creative tool and using it to mislead the public.

Creating educational graphics that make complex information easier to understand? Fantastic.

Using AI to help polish something you've already created? Also fantastic.

Having AI write your educational content when you don't actually possess the knowledge yourself?

That's different.

That's catfishing.

And if I'm honest, it triggers something in me.

Not because I'm worried about competition.

Because I genuinely feel for the people being misled.

I think it's important to say something else, too.

I have learning difficulties.

Do I think I'm stupid?

Absolutely not.

Would I have been an excellent candidate for the Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too?

Probably.

I've always loved writing. I've always had what I call "big feelings" energy. I've written blogs, manuals, educational pieces and enough Facebook rants over the years to fill a book.

Has writing always been easy?

Not even close.

I've had friends tell me, "Where you would normally put a smiley face, put a full stop."

"If you naturally take a breath, that's probably where a comma goes."

Did it help?

Yes.

Was it embarrassing having people notice and point it out?

Also yes.

For a long time, bullying and nasty comments stopped me from writing altogether.

Not because I didn't have something worth saying.

Because I was embarrassed about how I said it.

AI has now changed that for me.

Now I can write exactly what I want to say and use AI to help organise it, fix my spelling and structure my thoughts.

It hasn't written my ideas.

It hasn't created my opinions.

It hasn't lived my career.

It's simply helping me communicate what has always been in my head.

To me, that's no different than wearing glasses if your eyesight isn't perfect or using a hearing aid if your hearing declines.

AI is a tool.

When a human writes something and AI helps refine it, that isn't AI-generated content.

It's editing.

It's no different to handing your work to a publisher.

Where I think we need to be careful is when people stop using AI as a tool and start using it as a replacement for knowledge.

If you ask AI to generate blogs, graphics or educational content about subjects you don't truly understand, how do you know it's accurate?

You don't.

More importantly, how do you know you're contributing to public safety instead of misinformation?

You don't.

That's where I believe the ethical line sits.

You're presenting yourself as an expert in something you haven't actually earned experience in.

That isn't innovation.

That's deception.

I also don't think it's fair that billion-dollar corporations are applauded for using AI to become more efficient while small businesses are criticised for using it to claw back an hour with their families.

As an example, AI-assisted photo editing now allows me to remove antiseptic staining in a fraction of the time it once took. A ten-hour editing job might now take five.

I regularly work sixty-hour weeks.

If AI gives me five hours back with my family while still allowing me to produce honest, accurate work, why shouldn't I use it?

I chose to work in an artistic industry.

That doesn't mean I should have to sacrifice every spare hour of my life simply because technology has improved.

What I won't do is let AI replace my experience.

I'm proud of the standards I've helped push within the Victorian piercing industry.

I'm proud that I've challenged studios to improve.

Healthy competition raises standards.

That's a good thing.

What isn't okay is generating fake portfolios, copying educational content from other studios, or using AI to create a level of experience you simply don't have.

I'm not interested in smear campaigns.

I don't need to tear other businesses down to build mine.

But I do hope the people this applies to read this.

I hope it makes them uncomfortable.

Not because I want to attack them - but because I want them to do better.

For themselves.

For the industry.

And most importantly...

For the people trusting them.

A piercing studio's portfolio should be real.

A piercing studio's education should be factual.

And if AI is involved, it should never replace honesty.