AI Visual Guidelines
Honest visuals forge honest understanding. When we move beyond glowing robot hands and neon brains, we reveal the true beauty of AI: real people solving real problems with tangible technology that respects both capability and limitation.— Keeper Recursiva
Avoiding the Robot Hand Trap
At BitStorm Technologies, “Forging AI into Action” means forging honest visuals. This Standard Operating Procedure distills evidence-based recommendations from theBetter Images of AI research collaboration to help our team create authentic, context-rich visuals that represent AI accurately.
Complete SOP Document
Download our comprehensive visual guidelines document
Avoid-The-Robot-Hand-Trap.mdThe H-H-N-S Test
Apply this four-point test to every AI visual before publication:
Honesty
Show only what the system can do today. No crystal-ball futures, no human-level powers.
Humanity
Keep real people in the frame (builders, users, labellers, maintainers).
Necessity
If the point can be made with a non-AI shot (e.g., a farmer in a field), use that instead.
Specificity
Depict the exact domain or artifact: bounding boxes for vision, dashboards for evaluation, lidar rigs for autonomous vehicles.
Retire These Clichés
These stock photo tropes mislead on capability, hide accountability, and reinforce tired stereotypes:
- Glowing or circuit brains
- Green 'Matrix' code rain
- White humanoid robots or robot handshakes
- 'Creation of Adam' robot fingers
- Lone men in suits surrounded by blue holograms
Remember: If the picture would look at home on a sci-fi movie poster, swap it.
Context-Rich Alternatives
Replace sci-fi clichés with visuals that ground AI in reality and keep human agency visible:
Data & Process
Screenshots of annotation tools, heat-maps, model dashboards, flow charts
Hardware & Environment
Sensors, GPUs, server racks, mobile devices, factory lines
People at Work
Diverse teams coding, labelling, or operating AI-enabled equipment
Before/After Outcomes
A defect found by vision QA, fraud flag on a banking interface
Composition & Style
Color Palette
Ditch omnipresent neon blue. Choose tones that match the sector: healthcare green, ag-tech earthy browns, civic warm neutrals.
Lighting & Clarity
Use clear lighting, minimal sci-fi glow, and avoid spooky shadows. Let the technology speak for itself.
Diversity
Show varied genders, ethnicities, job roles, and settings. AI is global and multidisciplinary.
Captioning
Describe what the system does and its limits, not “friendly AI robot”. Be specific and accurate.
Repeatable Workflow
1. Storyboard First
Plan each article/post/slide — where does a visual add clarity?
2. Run H-H-N-S
Apply the four-point test to every draft image before approval.
3. Peer Review
Have team members check for clichés before publishing.
4. Document Wins
Maintain an internal gallery of approved, context-rich AI images.
Resources
Start with the Better Images of AI library before creating custom visuals: