Things you can do
- Brighten or sharpen an old, faded photo with the editing tools already on many phones.
- Ask a chatbot to help you write captions or a short story to go with a photo.
- Record yourself telling a family story, then ask for help tidying it into a written page.
- Ask for questions to prompt your memories: "Give me ten questions about growing up in the 1960s."
Keep it honest
A photo "restored" by AI may look sharper because the program has guessed what was there. It can change faces, add details or remove things. Keep the original, and label the edited copy as edited.
Never present an AI-made image as a real record of an event.
Keep it private
- Ask before you upload photos of other people, especially children.
- Be careful with apps that ask you to upload clear photos of your face to "make you look younger" or "turn you into art". Read what they do with your photos before you use them.
- Old documents in a photo, such as letters or certificates, may show private details. Cover them first.
Try this
- Pick one family photo you love.
- Write two or three sentences about it: who, where, when and why it matters.
- Ask a chatbot to suggest five questions that would help you add more to the story.
Safety tip
Keep the original of every photo you change, and say clearly when a picture has been edited by AI.