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AI image generators can help technical writers create illustrative visuals and explore different visual treatments, but they should not be treated as evidence of how a product works. Use generated art where approximation is acceptable; use verified screenshots, diagrams, and data graphics when accuracy is essential. In every case, review the image’s facts, accessibility, rights, and context before publication.
How technical writers can use AI image generators
Start with the job the image needs to do. A conceptual illustration can be useful even when its details are approximate. A screenshot, process diagram, or chart makes claims about a specific interface, sequence, or data set—and needs evidence that those claims are correct.
Use generated imagery for concepts and visual exploration
A generator can produce a supporting concept image or help explore composition and style. Frame the prompt around the intended concept, audience, composition, and visual treatment. Then check that the result does not imply a feature, person, event, or technical fact that is untrue.
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Use verified material for exact product information
If readers need to recognize an actual interface, follow exact steps, or understand technical relationships, use material verified against the product or authoritative product documentation. A generated image that looks plausible is not proof that its labels, controls, or behavior are real. For a process illustration, build and check a controlled diagram rather than relying on generated details.
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Are AI-generated images accurate enough for product documentation?
Not by appearance alone. Inspect the published asset for labels, geometry, relationships, and any detail a reader could mistake for real product behavior. Verify interface elements, instructions, and technical claims against the actual product or authoritative documentation. This is an editorial safeguard: the reviewed sources do not establish that generated graphics are reliable technical evidence.
Review the whole image, not only its most prominent subject. Adobe Stock’s guidance for contributors, for example, tells them to check anatomical correctness and warns that adding subjects can compromise accuracy. Those are Stock submission rules, not universal requirements, but they illustrate why a human should inspect an asset rather than assume a polished image is correct. Adobe Stock’s generative-AI submission guidance
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Choose the right image and text alternative
Decide whether the image is informative, decorative, functional, contains text, or is complex. Its purpose and surrounding context determine what a text alternative should convey.
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- Decorative: If the image adds no meaningful information, use an empty alternative,
alt="", so assistive technology can ignore it. - Functional: Describe the action or destination the image serves, rather than merely listing its appearance.
- Image of text: Prefer actual text in the page. If readable text must appear in an image, include the same words in its text alternative.
- Complex diagram or graph: Provide a complete text equivalent for the information it conveys, such as the relationships, data, or steps. Keep the essential information available in text.
Write or verify the alternative based on the final image and its role in the page. A generic generated caption may describe visible objects without conveying the information readers need. W3C’s Images Tutorial explains how to choose alternatives for different image purposes. WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.1.1 requires text alternatives for non-text content that serve an equivalent purpose, with exceptions including pure decoration implemented so assistive technology can ignore it. WCAG 2.1, Success Criterion 1.1.1
Check rights, tool terms, and provenance
Before using an image, review the generator’s current terms, what you supplied in prompts or reference uploads, and any recognizable people or property. Do not assume that an image is cleared for publication simply because a tool generated it.
Rules vary by tool and context. Adobe’s Generative AI User Guidelines prohibit using its features to create, upload, or share content that violates third-party copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights. Its examples include prompts intended to generate infringing content and uploading a third party’s copyrighted reference image. These are Adobe product rules, not a complete statement of law in every jurisdiction.
For a separate context, Adobe Stock says contributors submitting AI-generated assets for commercial licensing must hold the necessary rights, apply generative-AI labels, and meet applicable release requirements for identifiable people and real property. It also instructs contributors to check quality and avoid misleading depictions. Those submission requirements apply to Adobe Stock contributors; they should not be generalized to every publisher or tool. Adobe Stock contributor guidance
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchProvenance information can help indicate where an asset came from, but it is not a fact-check or rights clearance. OpenAI describes Content Credentials and SynthID as provenance signals for supported content generated or exported through its tools. Its help page notes that a signal may indicate likely generation by an OpenAI model, but does not guarantee accuracy, lack of editing, legal ownership, or correct context. OpenAI: C2PA in ChatGPT images
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The U.S. Copyright Office’s January 29, 2025 announcement of Part 2 of its AI report says the report addresses copyrightability of generative-AI outputs and affirms that existing copyright principles are flexible enough to apply to new technology. That announcement is not a legal determination about a particular asset or a complete account of law in every jurisdiction. U.S. Copyright Office announcement
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A practical review workflow
- Define the image’s job. Record whether it explains a concept, documents an actual interface, shows a sequence, communicates data, or serves as decoration.
- Choose an appropriate source. Generate a concept image where approximation is acceptable. For exact product details, use a verified screenshot or a diagram built from checked information.
- Inspect the asset. Check labels, visual relationships, and other details that could mislead readers or imply unsupported facts. Correct or replace anything inaccurate.
- Write the text alternative. Determine the image’s purpose in context, then supply suitable alt text or a fuller text equivalent for complex information.
- Review rights and provenance. Check current tool terms, prompt inputs, uploaded references, recognizable people or property, and any labels or releases required for the intended use. Preserve provenance information when available, without treating it as validation.
- Document the editorial decision. Where organizational policy calls for it, retain source or reference files, prompt and tool details, the reviewer, corrections made, and approved accessibility text.
What image generators do—and do not—establish
Generators offer another way to draft supporting visuals and explore treatments, but the available standards and vendor guidance do not establish a productivity gain for technical writers or a neutral ranking of tools. They also do not demonstrate that generated images can reliably document product behavior. Choose a workflow based on the image’s required accuracy, accessibility, rights review, editability, available provenance, and your team’s ability to verify the final asset.
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