AI headshots are becoming popular on LinkedIn and in professional portfolios as job seekers look for affordable profile pictures to give them an edge.

Since first impressions happen almost entirely through a screen, a clean, appealing photo is as important as a strong resume. And in a competitive job market, a good headshot can make a big difference. But professional photography has long been a financial barrier for many job applicants with an average starting cost for a professional headshot in the U.S. that can easily run up to hundreds of dollars.

Now job seekers are using fast and inexpensive AI tools to replace costly studio sessions.

“When I was at Yale, it was $200 for a 15-minute session for students,” said Melanie Fan, head of growth at Plush, an AI-powered online search platform for personalized shopping. “It was really expensive. The process of getting the pictures back, rendering them, looking at which ones I looked the best in, and then sending it back to the photographer for edit.”

This frustration has fueled the explosion of AI headshot tools like InstaHeadshots, PhotoPacksAI, HeadshotPro and Aragon AI, services that promise a professional image in minutes starting at under $50. Users simply upload selfies, pick a background, and receive dozens and no photographer is needed.

“After I changed my LinkedIn photo, the amount of inbound I’ve been getting from companies has skyrocketed,” Fan said. “Three to four times more messages from companies.”

Design company Canva recently launched its own AI headshot feature, with the goal of offering users a quick way to create realistic headshots and still be able to retouch or restyle them.

According to a recent Canva job market research report, 88% of job seekers believe a polished digital presence influences hiring decisions, which is up 45% from the year before. This is in line with the general uptick in use of AI as part of the application and hiring process, with 90% of hiring managers saying they have used AI to help with the hiring process, and 96% of job seekers who used AI in the application process saying they received callbacks.

Danny Wu, Canva’s head of AI products, said the goal wasn’t to replace real photography, but to make high quality imagery attainable to everyone no matter the budget or location. Once a user uploads an image, Canva can use AI for adjusting or changing the background, placing something in a different place, and for styling. “This is just a more accessible way to get professional and unique headshots,” Wu said.

Risks and questions about authenticity among HR recruiters

Anyone with a phone can get a LinkedIn-ready headshot, but the technology’s rapid adoption has created new questions about ethics and trust. Many candidates fear looking fake or deceptive and recruiters are on the lookout for AI-generated portraits that look overly smooth or stylized, saying authenticity matters the most.

“It is perceived as risky to use an AI headshot,” said Sam DeMase, ZipRecruiter career expert. “While recruiters accept them, a bad AI-generated headshot will put off most recruiters,” DeMase said. “A poorly done AI-generated headshot is easily recognized, reads as inauthentic, and can hurt the candidate’s chances of being selected.”

However, recruiters are struggling to tell if a headshot is AI produced, and the technology will only get better. “It’s becoming more and more difficult to tell whether a headshot has been enhanced or generated by AI,” DeMase added.

Chris Bora, founder and principal AI architect of Bora Labs and a former Meta engineer, said he built his own headshot generator, Nova Headshot, after being disappointed by existing options. “Some made me look taller and skinnier,” Bora said. “The other ones, they made me look lighter, so it wasn’t really me,” he said. “You don’t need to spend thousands to look professional anymore. You just need a tool that makes you look like yourself on your best day. With Nova, it takes less than ten minutes,” Bora said.

Amber Collins, an AI headshot user, said she still feels uneasy about it, especially since not every app gets it right. “There are a lot of bad apps out there,” Collins said. “Seven fingers, half a necklace, and the rest of it is gone from your neck. I feel guilty using AI. There’s a stigma. I’d 100% prefer to get actual get headshots done,” Collins said.

But ultimately, she says, the benefits outweighed the risks. “In this economy, you have to be mindful of where you’re going to put your money. I don’t need to have my face out there excessively, but having a couple of really good, solid, professional looking headshots is worth it to me,” Collins said.

Wu said the goal for job applicants seeking a headshot should be to use Canva’s tool to balance realism and creativity without losing their identity.

The tension between tech innovation and accessibility on the one hand, and authenticity on the other, will remain.

A LinkedIn spokesperson told CNBC what while the platform does allow the use of tools, including AI, to enhance or create profile photos, “the photo must reflect your likeness.”

“Profile photos that don’t comply with our user agreement or professional community policies may be removed,” the LinkedIn spokesperson said.

DeMase noted that many job candidates remain hesitant to use an AI headshot. “A headshot is one of the few places you can inject humanity into the job search,” he said.

But with job seekers now able to provide the appearance they had access to the same studio lighting, camera, and editing team as the pros, the trend is unlikely to stop.

A recent survey found that headshot use among job seekers is the highest within the Gen Z and millennial generations. And while recruiters may say they still prefer real photos, AI headshots are becoming harder to spot, and less likely to even be reviewed by humans in the first stages of the application process. A recent study from the HR trade group SHRM found that 66% of human resource professionals are using AI to generate their job descriptions, and 44% are using the technology to review or screen applicant resumes.