Using AI Images in Client Work: A Pre-Delivery Checklist
Before an AI-generated image reaches a client, check where it sits in the workflow, who can see it, what the terms allow, and what must be disclosed.
Before an AI-generated image goes to a client, answer four questions: where the image sits in your workflow, who can see it while it exists, what the platform’s terms say about commercial use, and whether you can explain how it was made. If any answer is unclear, the image is not ready for delivery. This checklist does not replace the platform’s terms or a lawyer’s advice.
Start with the image’s job
An image can be the final asset or an input. A final asset ships as it is: a banner, a product photo or a cover. An input gets changed afterwards, for example by compositing it into a larger design or by painting over part of it. The distinction matters because the terms you accepted may treat the two differently, and because a final asset carries more risk if it contains text, labels or logos you did not check.
Write down which role the image plays before you open the generator. If the answer changes during the project, record the change, so the file history matches what the client receives.
Check who can see the picture
Some generators show new images in a public gallery by default. That may be fine for a mood board and wrong for an unreleased product. Look for the visibility setting in the account, not only in the marketing pages, and test it with a throwaway image before you use the account for client work.
Private options often sit behind a paid tier. If the project depends on privacy, confirm that the tier you pay for includes the option, and keep a note of the date you checked it.
Read the commercial-use wording
Commercial use is the most common point of confusion. Terms can differ between a free account, a paid individual plan and a team plan, and the wording on a pricing page may summarise a longer document. Read the document that covers the account you actually use, and save a copy with the date.
Look for four things: whether commercial use is allowed, whether it depends on the tier, whether the platform keeps any rights to outputs, and whether the platform asks you to disclose AI use. Write the answers down in the project file. If a term is vague, ask the platform in writing before delivery.
Think about copyright without assuming an answer
Ownership of images made mostly or entirely by a machine is an open question in many places, and rules on it are still being tested. You may be able to protect edits you make to an AI image more easily than the raw output. Do not promise a client exclusive rights to a picture unless you have checked that promise against current guidance in the client’s jurisdiction.
Check the details inside the picture
Generated images often contain small errors: text that is misspelled, labels that do not match the brief, logos that look real, or people with features that do not make sense. Zoom in on every area that carries information. If the image includes a product, compare it with a real photo of the product before you deliver it.
If the picture resembles a known brand, character or person, remove it from the job or redraw it. Do not rely on the generator’s own filters as proof that the image is safe to use.
Decide on disclosure
Ask the client how they want AI use recorded, and check whether the publishing channel has its own rule. A short note in the contract or the delivery email is simpler than explaining later that a picture was generated. Keep the note with the file.
Pre-delivery checklist
- Write down whether the image is a final asset or an input to further work.
- Confirm the visibility setting on the account that produced the image.
- Save the commercial-use terms for the exact plan you used, with the date.
- Check every word, label, logo and figure inside the picture.
- Confirm the image does not imitate a known brand, character or person.
- Record the disclosure agreed with the client, and keep it with the file.
Scope of this checklist
It cannot tell you whether a given image is legally safe, because that depends on the platform, the tier, the country and the way the image is used. It does not rank generators or show which tool grants stronger rights. For a specific project, read the current terms of each tool you used and take advice where the stakes are high.
FAQ
Can I deliver an AI-generated image to a client?
Often yes, but only after you have read the terms of the specific tool and the paid tier you used. Commercial-use wording differs between platforms and between free and paid accounts. This guide does not give a legal conclusion, so ask a qualified adviser for high-value work.
Does a public gallery matter if I never post the image?
It can. Some generators display images in a public gallery by default, so a picture made for a confidential brief may be visible to other people unless you change the setting or use a private option. Check the visibility setting before you upload any unreleased material.
Should I tell the client that an image was made with AI?
Ask the client first, and check whether the platform or the publishing channel asks for disclosure. Telling the client in the contract or the delivery note is simpler than explaining later that a picture was generated.