Bernd Arnold – German documentary photographer
How does artificial intelligence influence the way we perceive and create photography? In this thought-provoking interview, renowned photographer
Bernd Arnold delves into the profound changes sweeping through his craft. We discuss the evolving role of AI in shaping visual storytelling, its impact on authenticity, and the blurred lines between artistry and automation. Arnold reflects on the essence of human creativity, the challenges of navigating these technological advancements, and why understanding the story behind an image is more important than ever.
Discover how one of the industry’s most respected voices sees the future of photography in a rapidly changing world.
Quest: You’ve chosen a very reflective approach to
your work, especially in addressing topics like AI
and photography. What led you to write your latest
book? Why is this topic so important to you?
Bernd Arnold: The book has been a long time in the
making. I began studying photography in 1983 when
analog photography was still the norm. But even
then, developments toward digital photography
were underway. I saw the first digital camera at Photokina around 1985 or 1986, and that marked the beginning of my interest in the transition from analog to digital photography. Analog photography carries
a physical trace of light on a negative, while digital
deconstructs that trace into zeros and ones, making
it virtual. This shift is monumental.
In 1988, I wrote a theoretical paper predicting that
the authenticity of photography would eventually be
fundamentally questioned, starting with the advent
of digital cameras. About four years ago, I revisited
this topic, exploring how manipulated images during
election campaigns could blur the line between real
and fabricated. When AI emerged, it became clear
that any photograph could be AI-generated, making
it impossible to distinguish between reality and
imitation. This development changes everything, including our perception of photography as a transparent record of reality.
The rapid progress of AI, which I expected to occur
around 2030, happened much sooner. By 2023, I felt
compelled to address this shift in documentary photography.
Quest: With the speed at which AI is advancing,
how do you see it impacting the authenticity and
essence of photography?
Bernd Arnold: This development impacts every aspect
of photography, including its authenticity. For
example, publishers and magazines now use AI-generated images instead of hiring photographers, as AI
is much cheaper. While this is a challenge, I see it as
an opportunity to explore new creative tools. AI will
dominate artificial worlds, but it can never replicate
the “trace” left by analog photography—the direct
connection to reality.
AI’s rise will create a counter-movement, a growing
demand for authenticity. Documentary photography,
with its ability to capture past realities, will gain importance as a reference to the real world. This connection to reality is something AI cannot replicate.
For instance, the plaster casts of Pompeii victims are
traces of past realities, akin to photojournalism in
three dimensions. Such traces are irreplaceable and
uniquely human.
Quest: Your book features AI-generated images of
Olaf Scholz during the election campaign. What
message were you trying to convey through these
images?
Bernd Arnold: The images of Olaf Scholz in the book
are entirely AI-generated, depicting situations that
never happened. These images are designed to look
like reportage photography, and while we might notice
minor flaws today, in a few years, AI’s perfection
will make them indistinguishable from reality.
What’s fascinating about AI-generated images is their
temporal fluidity. Photography captures a moment
that immediately becomes the past. AI images, however,
exist in the past, present, and future simultaneously.
The images in my book serve as metaphors for
this AI-driven future, illustrating how these technologies
will reshape our perception of time and reality.
Quest: Do you see AI posing challenges to the credibility of images in journalism and politics, especially during critical events like election campaigns?
Bernd Arnold: Absolutely. AI challenges the concepts
of truth and reality. Photography has always been mistaken for truth, but even analog photographs
depend on the photographer’s perspective and interpretation. With AI, this connection to reality is completely severed, creating a dangerous blend
of reality and fantasy that’s difficult to distinguish.
For example, a plausible AI-generated image of a
politician could mislead the public. Media outlets
will eventually have to decide whether they focus on
real images or AI-generated ones. Mixing the two will
erode trust. In politics, this lack of distinction could
amplify misinformation and disinformation, undermining
public trust in journalism and democracy itself.
Quest: Beyond documentary photography, what
other areas do you think will be most affected by
AI?
Bernd Arnold: AI will impact every photographic domain,
particularly commercial and corporate sectors,
where cost efficiency often outweighs authenticity.
This shift continues the digital revolution, making it
easier for anyone to create convincing visuals without
the expertise previously required. Photography has always expanded our perception of reality. It allows us to see things we couldn’t perceive unaided, like high-speed photography capturing a
bullet passing through an apple. These innovations
shaped how we understand the world. AI, however,
creates imitations detached from reality, signalling
a move away from scientific enlightenment toward
a world driven by belief and constructed realities.
This poses a fundamental challenge to how humanity
perceives and understands the world.
Quest: Do you think AI-generated visuals could push
society toward a less reality-based worldview?
Bernd Arnold: Yes, that’s a significant concern. Photography has always provided a direct, albeit subjective, trace of reality. AI replaces this with entirely
fabricated worlds, making it harder to discern what
is real. This shift risks steering society away from
empirical understanding toward a reliance on belief
and constructed narratives.
The challenge lies in educating people about these
changes and reinforcing the importance of factbased
journalism and authentic imagery. Without
this awareness, the line between reality and fabrication
will continue to blur, with profound implications
for our collective understanding of truth.
Bernd Arnold
The World of New Images: Documentary photography and AI Artificial intelligence creates completely new possibilities in the creation of images. For the first time, all the imaging techniques of art history have been brought together in a single tool that can be used by any computer user without any special expertise. A discussion about these issues is overdue, considering that trust in the authenticity of photographs has helped shape human history for almost 200 years. Images can be created that look like photographs but are not. What does this mean for photography in general and documentary photography in particular?
They can be used to create images that look like photographs but are not. What does this mean for photography in general and documentary photography in particular? A discussion about these questions is overdue, considering that trust in the authenticity of photographs has helped shape human history for almost 200
years.
Bernd Arnold, author and photographer of “Das Kölner Heil” and “Wahl Kampf Ritual”, is convinced that we will enter a New World when authentic photos and AI-generated photographic imitations compete with each other in forming our view of the world and history. In three essays, he analyzes the technological and perceptual history of photography, explains the new and innovative nature of AI and looks at the future role of documentary photography and its producers. For the phenomenon of photographic imitations, he introduces the term “dichography”, which describes a parallel universe of fictional reality that will soon be indistinguishable from the photographic light traces of pastreality.
About the book (Link)
Bernd Arnold, born in Cologne in 1961. Studied photography at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Graduated in 1990 with a series of pictures of the Cologne demimonde. Since then, Arnold has worked
continuously on aspects of
German society with a focus on religion, politics, the demimonde, the media and the business world. He organizes his work into cycles such as “Power and Ritual” or “Digitalis”.
Book publications include: Das Kölner Heil (1997), Wahl Kampf Ritual (2013), Die Welt der Neuen Bilder (2023).
Exhibitions including: Magie
der Straße: Meisterwerke der
Street Photography at Ernst
Leitz Museum Wetzlar (2025),
Bilderstrom – Der Rhein und die Fotografie 2016-1853 at LVRLandesMuseum Bonn (2016), Augen Auf! – 100 Jahre Leica at Deichtorhallen Hamburg (2014), Macht und Ritual at Stadtmuseum Köln (2006).
Member of the German
Photographic Society (DGPh), the German Photographic Academy (DFA) and VISUM – Agency for Photography.
www.berndarnold.photography
