Artificial intelligence is changing what can happen to a model’s image after the photoshoot ends.

A client can photograph you today.

Then technology can potentially create:

a different pose,

a different outfit,

a different background,

a new expression,

or even an entirely new image that looks like you — although you never physically created it.

That changes an important question for models.

It is no longer only:

“How much am I being paid for this shoot?”

It is also:

“What exactly am I giving permission for?”

This conversation is already becoming more concrete internationally.

Under New York’s Fashion Workers Act, for example, the use or creation of a model’s digital replica requires separate, explicit written approval. That approval must address the scope, purpose, rate of pay and length of use. The law defines a digital replica as a computer-generated or AI-enhanced representation of a model’s face, body or voice that recreates or replaces their appearance or performance.

SAG-AFTRA has also built its approach to AI around three principles:

consent, compensation and control.

These are not Nigerian modelling laws, and models working in Nigeria should not assume foreign protections automatically apply to their contracts.

But they show where the global conversation is heading.

So before agreeing to AI use of your image, here are seven questions worth asking.

1. Can AI Be Used to Create New Images of Me?

Start with the most basic question.

Does the agreement allow the client to:

edit the photographs normally,

or does it allow them to create entirely new representations of you?

Those are not necessarily the same thing.

Normal post-production might include things such as colour correction, minor retouching or removing a temporary blemish.

A digital replica goes much further.

It could potentially create an image of you doing something you never physically did.

New York’s Fashion Workers Act specifically distinguishes routine photographic editing from a digital replica that recreates or replaces a model’s appearance or performance.

So if you see terms such as:

digital replica,
synthetic media,
generative AI,
AI-generated derivative,
likeness,
biometric data,
machine learning
or synthetic performance,

do not automatically skip past them.

Ask what they permit.

2. What Exactly Can the AI Version of Me Be Used For?

Permission should have a purpose.

Imagine you agree to AI manipulation for one skincare campaign.

That does not automatically answer whether the same digital version can later be used for:

a clothing campaign,

a banking advertisement,

a political message,

another skincare brand,

an international campaign,

or a completely different product.

This is one of the clearest lessons coming from newer international protections.

New York’s Department of Labor gives the example of a client wanting to use AI-manipulated images from an earlier shoot for a new campaign. If the original approval did not cover the new campaign, the model’s approval must be obtained again.

The practical lesson is simple:

“You can use AI” is too vague.

Ask:

For what?

3. How Long Can My Digital Likeness Be Used?

Models already understand that conventional image usage can have a duration.

Three months.

Six months.

One year.

Two years.

AI usage should raise the same question.

If a company creates a digital version of you today, can it keep that asset:

for six months?

five years?

forever?

And what happens when the original campaign ends?

SAG-AFTRA’s current commercial agreements contain specific rules around digital replicas, including consent requirements and limits around retaining digital replicas after the permitted period of use.

Again, those terms do not automatically govern Nigerian model bookings.

But the principle is worth understanding:

digital usage should not automatically mean unlimited usage.

4. Where Can the AI Version Be Used?

Territory still matters.

A campaign intended for:

Nigeria

is different from:

West Africa

or:

Africa

or:

global usage.

Likewise, the platform matters.

Will your digital likeness appear on:

Instagram?

TikTok?

billboards?

television?

e-commerce?

the client’s website?

paid digital advertisements?

third-party platforms?

Future contracts may increasingly need to define AI usage with the same seriousness traditionally given to image usage.

A model should know where the value created from their likeness can travel.

5. Do I Get Paid When New AI Content Is Created?

This may become one of the biggest commercial questions for models.

Imagine you complete one physical shoot.

The client then uses your authorised digital replica to generate:

20 new images,

three campaign videos,

multiple product variations,

and advertising material for six months.

Should all of that commercial value be covered by the original shoot fee?

Or should additional use generate additional compensation?

There is no single universal answer.

But international entertainment agreements are increasingly recognising that digital-replica use has commercial value of its own. SAG-AFTRA’s commercial agreements, for example, require compensation when a performer’s digital replica is used to generate performances.

For models, that suggests a future where a booking might eventually be broken into:

physical shoot fee

plus

traditional image usage

plus

digital likeness / AI usage

where applicable.

That is a much more sophisticated conversation than simply asking:

“How much is the job?”

6. Can My Image or Data Be Used to Train AI?

This question is different from using AI to alter one photograph.

A company may potentially want access to:

your photographs,

facial data,

voice,

body scans,

movement data,

or other information

to train or improve an AI system.

That raises a separate question:

What happens to that data afterward?

Ask:

What data are you collecting?

Why?

Where will it be stored?

Who can access it?

Can another company receive it?

Can it be used to train another system later?

Can I withdraw permission?

Will the data eventually be deleted?

SAG-AFTRA’s recent AI agreements increasingly address performer data, informed consent and restrictions around training uses, reflecting the growing importance of separating ordinary content usage from the use of someone’s identity or performance data to build AI systems.

Models should begin recognising that difference too.

7. Who Controls the Digital Version of Me After the Job Ends?

This may be the most important question of all.

Suppose the brand creates a realistic digital version of you.

Who owns that file?

Who stores it?

Who can access it?

Can it be transferred to another company?

Can another agency use it?

Can the client sell or sublicense access to it?

Can it be used after your relationship with the agency ends?

Can it still generate content after the original campaign expires?

The more realistic and reusable digital replicas become, the more important these questions become.

The technology may belong to a company.

The campaign may belong to the client.

But the digital person being represented still looks like you.

That deserves clarity.

The 7 Questions in 30 Seconds

Before agreeing to AI use, ask:

1. Can AI create completely new images or performances of me?
2. What exactly can those images be used for?
3. How long does permission last?
4. Which countries, platforms and campaigns are covered?
5. How will I be compensated for additional AI usage?
6. Can my images or data be used to train AI?
7. Who controls and stores my digital likeness when the job ends?

If the answer to several of those questions is simply:

“Don’t worry about it,”

you probably need more information before signing.

What About “Perpetual Usage”?

Aspiring models should pay particular attention to this word.

Perpetual generally means the granted usage does not expire.

That does not automatically make every perpetual agreement inappropriate.

But you should understand what you are giving away.

A perpetual licence involving one finished photograph is already significant.

A perpetual licence involving a reusable AI version of your face, body or voice could potentially be far broader.

Ask what exactly is perpetual.

Models Should Not Be Afraid of AI

The purpose of these questions is not to tell models:

“Never agree to AI.”

There may be legitimate opportunities.

A model may decide that licensing a digital version of themselves makes commercial sense.

If the agreement is clear and the compensation is worthwhile, AI could potentially become an additional income stream rather than simply a threat.

The problem is not necessarily AI.

The problem is unclear permission.

Brands Also Benefit From Clear AI Agreements

This is not only about protecting talent.

Clear agreements protect brands too.

If both parties understand:

what can be generated,

where it can be used,

how long permission lasts,

what compensation applies,

and what happens afterward,

there is less room for disputes later.

The global regulatory direction is increasingly moving toward transparency. New York, for example, introduced a law effective in June 2026 requiring disclosure in certain advertisements using AI-generated synthetic performers.

The exact rules will differ between countries and industries.

But transparency is becoming harder to ignore.

Nigeria: What Should Models Do?

Nigeria does not currently have the same model-specific digital-replica framework described above for New York.

So Nigerian models should not read an American law online and assume the same protection automatically exists here.

Instead, the practical lesson is:

understand your contract before granting broad rights.

For significant commercial bookings — especially agreements involving perpetual usage, AI training, digital replicas or extensive likeness rights — consider obtaining appropriate professional or legal advice before signing.

A Model Release Is Becoming More Important Than Ever

There was a time when many aspiring models thought the paperwork was the boring part of the job.

Shoot.

Get paid.

Go home.

But as technology makes images more reusable, editable and generative, the paperwork may determine what happens to your identity long after shoot day.

The future professional model may need to understand:

usage,
territory,
duration,
exclusivity,
AI rights,
digital replicas
and licensing

almost as much as they understand posing.

DXC VIEW

Your face is not just content. It can have commercial value beyond the day you were photographed.

AI does not automatically mean models should refuse new technology.

But consent should be informed.

Usage should be clear.

Compensation should reflect the value being created.

And models should understand what they are agreeing to before a digital version of them begins working somewhere they never physically went.

Already Read Our First AI & Modelling Guide?

This article continues a wider conversation we started in:

Will AI Replace Models? What AI-Generated Models Mean for Nigerian Talent and Brands in 2026

Link that article here internally.

You may also want to read:

Model vs Creator vs Influencer: What Does Your Brand Actually Need?

because digital campaigns are increasingly combining modelling, content creation, distribution and technology in ways that traditional talent agreements did not always anticipate.

Before You Sign

Do not panic because a contract contains the word AI.

Do not sign simply because everyone else is signing either.

Ask questions.

Understand the scope.

Understand the duration.

Understand the money.

Understand what happens to your digital likeness when the physical job is finished.

Because technology can generate another image of you.

It should not automatically generate another set of rights that you never knowingly agreed to.

For more model education, industry insights and official DXC information, visit dxcmodels.com.