The Austin Professional Photographers Association (APPA) follows the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) rules and prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate original photographic elements in its competitions. Only AI tools that assist in the editing of an original, human-created photograph are permitted. The primary rule is that the image must originate from a photographic process, and all photographic elements must be created by the entrant. 

Prohibited uses of AI

• No AI-generated content: Entrants are not allowed to submit images created in whole or in part using AI image generators that create whole images or backgrounds from text prompts.
• No stock AI images: The use of stock photos or images that are AI-generated is also forbidden.
• Original raw file required: APPA may require the original raw camera file for any image submitted to verify its authenticity and ensure no prohibited AI generation was used. 

Permitted uses of AI

AI-powered tools are allowed for editing and enhancing original photographs, as long as they do not add new content to the image. Examples of acceptable uses include: 

• Denoise: Tools that remove digital noise from a photo.
• Sharpening: Software that sharpens the focus of a captured image.
• Object removal: The use of content-aware tools to remove minor objects.
• Basic adjustments: Color and brightness adjustments, cropping, and dodging and burning are always permitted.