Photography is moving through one of its fastest technical transitions in years, as more of the work once done by hand shifts to automated tools. With that, Aftershoot revealed just how quickly AI has seeped into the industry. Out of the 5.4 billion images processed in 2024, 4.4 billion were culled and 1.05 billion were edited. The company estimates that photographers saved 13 million hours as a result. It also calculates a combined AU$117 million in savings for its 200,000 users, based on 11 cents cost per edited photo.
Chatbot becomes a photo editor
On December 10 2025, ChatGPT announced that Photoshop, Adobe Express and Acrobat are now integrated directly into the chatbot. Anyone can edit photos with Adobe’s tools without a subscription to either platform. A small pop-up window manages the workflow, with sliders in the upper-right corner for exposure, lighting and other effects like glitch or glow.
Some corners of the photography world are facing more strain and stock photography is perhaps the worst-hit. When photographers can generate dozens of versions of a businessman shaking hands or a diverse team meeting in a modern office for pennies, the economic base of traditional stock imagery has dipped. Many platforms now provide built-in AI generation for buyers. Paying 50 dollars for a stock photo becomes hard to justify when an almost identical image can be created for 50 cents.
Zenfolio’s latest survey (2024) shows that only 12.9% of photographers said they did not use AI. Another 32.2% said it was a regular part of their workflow, while 53.1% used it as needed. Just 11.6% viewed AI as negative, compared with 31.8% who viewed it as positive and 56.6% who were neutral.
Another report by Aftershoot surveyed 1,000 AI-adopting photographers also showed how workflows have shifted. Many said that AI restored work-life balance, with 81% reporting that they had finally regained it. Client expectations have tightened. 54% said their clients expect delivery within 14 days, while 13% said clients expect work within 48 hours. Only 1% reported client concerns about AI use. Around 30% said clients complimented the speed and consistency of their work, and another 30% said clients did not care or did not know.
The human element
Despite the pace of AI adoption, many aspects of photography remain resistant to automation. Photographers still rely on technical knowledge of lighting, composition and exposure, as well as creative judgment that AI cannot replicate. Image generators, by contrast, do not create through intention as they only rely on patterns from millions of images to assemble something that fits a prompt.
AI is possibly not the end of photography, but another major shift and the question now is not whether photographers will be replaced, but how they will define their value in a world where image generation is fast and abundant, and where the human qualities of the craft may carry more weight than ever.
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