Simon Westlake and AT Creative Perth campaign champions the human touch in photography

As AI image-generation tools continue to rise in popularity, award-winning Western Australian photographer Simon Westlake has teamed up with AT Creative to launch a provocative new campaign, AI vs SI EYE. The initiative is a timely reminder to both creatives and clients that the human eye – and the actual intelligence behind it – still has a distinct advantage over AI when it comes to capturing authenticity and the nuances of real life.

The campaign puts Westlake’s skill and instinct as a photographer directly up against one of the most widely used AI image generators on the market. Using a selection of his favourite recent shots as reference, AT Creative Director Andrew Tinning ‘briefed’ Midjourney to recreate the same moments.

“The results spoke for themselves,” said Tinning. “Aside from the missing fingers and the occasional human body blending awkwardly into a car body, there was just no comparison. Simon’s work captures the humanity, the emotion, and the unpredictability of the moment in a way AI simply can’t replicate. So needless to say, there was one clear winner on the day.”

AI vs SI EYE will be showcased across Simon’s social platforms and shared with clients and industry creatives to spark conversation around the role of human creativity in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

“This isn’t about dismissing AI,” Westlake added. “It’s a powerful tool and it has its place. But real photography has soul. It’s about connection, timing, and seeing something that isn’t immediately obvious.”

“And that’s the difference,” said Tinning. “AI can process, but only the human eye can truly see.”