• by Les Luchter , Staff Writer, April 16, 2026

When this column last covered Getty Images’ role in healthcare marketing in Nov. 2023, artificial intelligence never came up.  Now, of course, with patient trust so essential to the category, the authenticity of images used in brand marketing is key – with AI often in the spotlight.

We spoke with Tristen Norman, Getty Images’ head of creative, about the rise of AI and how Getty is dealing with it.

Pharma & Health Insider: AI seems to be top of mind for healthcare brands these days, so how is Getty dealing with the phenomenon?

Tristan Norman: From transforming the clinical experience to enhancing and accelerating drug discovery, to streamlining patient encounters with the healthcare system, there is a rich well of potential for AI in the healthcare industry.

That’s not even mentioning image generation in healthcare marketing. Imagine a world where the impact of a disease state on every possible patient population could be visualized at scale, with the click of a button. How would that shift the way we feel about healthcare? Would we be overwhelmed? Amazed? Would we even trust what we were seeing? 

Yet, healthcare marketers are targeting a conflicted audience when it comes to the role of AI in their lives, especially as it relates to their health and wellbeing. Our VisualGPS survey indicates growing excitement and acceptance that AI technologies will help solve important issues – 74% agree on that point.

But more than half of the respondents also agree that the risks of AI outweigh any positive impact it will have on society. When it comes to using AI for image generation in healthcare marketing, 75% of those surveyed prefer seeing real images of health and wellness products in advertising, and 79% are more likely to trust those real photographs over AI-generated images.

This shows us a persistent tension between the realities of innovation and consumers’ desire for healthcare to remain human-centered. Stories about the benefits of healthcare products and services, and patient testimonials are still what resonate and move the needle.

P&HI: Is Getty using AI at all in its own content creation for healthcare brands?

Norman: We have taken a position not to accept any AI-generated or modified content into our creative and editorial libraries. There were many reasons for this, but chief among them were our commitment to the power of human creativity, respect for our creator community and their rights, and the needs of our customers. 

If and when customers do want to engage us for content creation powered by AI, we have our own generative AI tool, which is commercially safe and compensates creators for their contributions to the dataset.

In a time of rampant distrust and uncertainty, it’s critical to carefully consider the context in which you’re using these tools and keep transparency and honesty at the forefront. 

P&HI: It’s no secret that pharma brands are facing a trust issue, so how can imagery help in that regard?

Norman: Brand trust is earned through honesty, authenticity, and consistency, and imagery is today’s currency for earning that trust. Today’s brands are marketing to an incredibly visually literate audience with little tolerance for anything performative, and a woefully short attention span.... You have to tell a story that feels rooted in something real. 

For example, our research covered the emergence of a new relationship between how patients manage their health and how they engage with healthcare systems and institutions. People feel strongly about taking their health into their own hands, while still relying on experts to steer and influence their outcomes.

But oftentimes, healthcare content is ambiguous compared to the specificity of patients’ health routines and concerns... Visuals are more likely to show a patient either with a healthcare provider in a clinical setting or being active and having leisure time with their friends or family.

Visuals don’t tend to portray the nitty-gritty of managing care at home, showing what it looks like for a patient to be in control of their health. This could be making choices about their nutrition, taking supplements, consuming content about their disease states, and more. All of this indicates that healthcare marketing is still leaving a lot on the table when it comes to the real stories people want to see. 

Of course, we also know this reality is especially complicated to navigate for pharma brands, given the regulatory pressures that come with any piece of advertising collateral they create. But consumers are clamoring for this change. In this era of innovation, it’s time for pharma brands to innovate on their visuals, too.