Is it possible to use AI ethically?

In 1990, when Adobe first released Photoshop, the public reception was not particularly positive. There was concern that such an advanced computer program (at least for the time) could hinder human labor. Clearly, this was not the case, and today Photoshop – along with the entire Adobe Suite – has become a central tool in the creative industry. However, over the past 35 years, the use of Photoshop has been repeatedly criticized, especially in the beauty and fashion industries, with accusations against media outlets and advertisers of perpetuating immoral and unethical beauty standards through photo editing. In 2025, we find ourselves in a very similar landscape, but this time, the tool in question is artificial intelligence. With the proliferation of advanced models, now considered essential in the daily lives of the global population, AI continues to represent one of the most pressing ethical challenges of our time, especially now that it has integrated into the workforce of millions of businesses. The debate is becoming increasingly heated: Can AI-generated art truly be considered art? Should a photograph generated by MidJourney hold the same value as one taken by a photographer? Can a book written by ChatGPT be published with the same legitimacy as the Divine Comedy? Recently, Estée Lauder Companies announced an official collaboration with Adobe to integrate the Firefly generative AI platform into its digital marketing strategies; at the same time, thousands of Chinese companies are adopting the new DeepSeek model in their software, celebrating the startup's technological progress. In a world where there are still no unified legal frameworks governing the use of artificial intelligence, can AI truly be used ethically?

The adoption of AI by Estée Lauder Companies is part of a broader context in which the beauty industry seeks to balance innovation with public perception. On the one hand, AI represents an opportunity to make marketing strategies and content creation more efficient; on the other, it raises ethical concerns that go beyond simple workflow optimization. According to Business of Fashion, the decision to use Firefly, Adobe’s generative AI model, comes at a delicate moment for the company, which is facing a decline in sales and has announced the layoff of 7,000 employees. In an industry where image is everything, the risk of losing authenticity is real, especially without human oversight. It is essential to consider the impact that the beauty industry has on younger generations, and while AI-generated images of rare ingredients or AI-driven market localization could enhance flexibility, they also raise concerns about the transparency of creative processes. The multinational company has stated its intention to set clear boundaries, like excluding the use of AI for generating human faces or illustrating product efficacy. However, the problem persists: To what extent can AI be integrated without distorting the relationship between brands and consumers? The history of the beauty industry is filled with controversies over image manipulation. If Photoshop redefined the limits of photo editing, artificial intelligence could push them even further, transforming not only how products are communicated but also the perception of visual reality within the industry.

In China, however, the use of artificial intelligence has become a matter of state importance. As reported by Wired in recent days, the tech startup DeepSeek has captured the attention of an entire industrial system, with companies across various sectors – from automotive to healthcare and even government offices – rushing to integrate the open-source AI model into their processes. While some industries are finding concrete applications for the technology – such as Chinese chip manufacturers optimizing it for their processors or automakers implementing it in their onboard systems – many others are riding the wave of its popularity for purely speculative reasons. In a financial market where a company's stock value can fluctuate based more on public perception than actual results, adopting DeepSeek has become a marketing strategy in itself: hundreds of companies have announced AI integrations in their systems, sometimes without clearly explaining its actual use, often as a sino-nationalist move to celebrate the success of the most advanced language model developed in China. Beyond the immediate economic advantage, the phenomenon has taken on a deeper meaning in the current geopolitical landscape. DeepSeek’s rise has been perceived as a direct challenge to U.S. technological dominance, fueling a wave of national pride that extends beyond the tech sector. Its ability to develop advanced AI models despite Western-imposed semiconductor export restrictions has been celebrated as a testament to China’s resilience, with political figures comparing the startup’s success to the country's greatest scientific achievements, from nuclear development to the space race. In this context, artificial intelligence is not just a technology to be integrated into business models but a political and cultural symbol, a key element of a narrative in which innovation is positioned as the answer to Western economic and diplomatic pressure.

Perhaps the main issue in AI ethics is the fundamental lack of legally binding global laws and frameworks governing the use of these new technologies. As of today, there are no internationally unified regulations that uniformly oversee the development and application of artificial intelligence, creating a regulatory void that fosters uncertainty and risk. Some institutions, such as UNESCO and the European Union, are attempting to promote global alignment by establishing ethical guidelines and principles for responsible AI adoption. Through the Global AI Ethics and Governance Observatory, UNESCO has highlighted how the lack of ethical safeguards can lead to profound consequences, from amplifying bias to violating human rights and worsening social inequalities. Similarly, the EU has outlined seven key requirements for trustworthy AI, including transparency, privacy protection, and human oversight, aiming to set a regulatory standard. However, without a legally binding global legislative framework, AI governance remains fragmented and subject to individual government and corporate interpretations, often driven by market profitability rather than ethical standards. In the absence of international consensus, the risk is that the debate on AI ethics will remain confined to voluntary initiatives and self-regulation by companies while technological progress continues at a pace far exceeding legislative capabilities.