Why AI Wont Replace Stock Photography Yet

Freepik originally launched as a stock photo image website, quickly becoming a key resource alongside platforms like Pexels, Unsplash, and even Adobe Stock for businesses seeking professional imagery for their websites and marketing materials.

However, the tech landscape has shifted dramatically. Over the last decade, Freepik has expanded its offerings to include AI image and video generators, upscaling tools, and most recently, Freepik Spaces—a cloud-based collaboration platform. This evolution raises a critical question about the company's original foundation.

The AI Disruption Question

With the rapid rise of generative AI, many have speculated that the era of traditional stock imagery is over. At this year's Freepik Upscale Conf in Malaga, this very question was posed to Joaquín Cuenca, the company's CEO and co-founder: Has AI killed the stock asset market for good?

Cuenca's answer was a clear and decisive no.

A Surprising Stability in the Market

"No, there's still a space for it," he explained. "That's something that, you know, this thing that says that in the short term, we overestimate the impact, and we underestimate in the long term. Well, with existing platforms, there is a tendency to believe that they are going to disappear very quickly when there is a new technology. But very often they stay stable."

He noted that even if growth slows, a dedicated group of users often prefers to stick with familiar creative processes. When asked if Freepik has seen a drop in stock image use as it rolls out more AI features, Cuenca confirmed the market's resilience.

"Stock, for us, has not decreased. It's absolutely stable or growing. It's a nice business, and it's been our business for many years. We're very proud of it. We've helped many, many people thanks to stock."

Where AI Can't Compete

Cuenca also pointed out that there are specific areas where AI-generated images simply cannot replace authentic photography. The need for genuine representation is a key factor that secures the future of stock images.

"It's like, for trade, for travel purposes, like you want a photo of Malaga, it would be disingenuous to make up something. You just need to go there and just do it, take a photo. It has its own use cases that are not displaced by AI."

He emphasized that while the future is impossible to predict with certainty, the present reality is that stock photography is holding its ground.

The Future is a Hybrid Approach

So, what does the future hold? According to Cuenca, it’s not about replacement but convergence. The lines between stock imagery, AI generation, and photo editing are blurring, creating new hybrid workflows.

"We have done a bit of that. We have made it easy for people to use stock, combine it with AI, and many people have done that. There's a group of people that just have to use stock, and that's ok."

This integrated approach suggests that stock photos will continue to be a valuable asset in the creator's toolkit, existing alongside powerful new AI technologies rather than being replaced by them.