Indeed, tattoo artists have previously used various photos and other visual materials in their work – especially when creating complex, highly detailed, and realistic drawings.
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Hungarian tattoo artist Brigi Fuzes uses AI as an auxiliary tool when creating tattoo sketches.
“AI helps me adjust the images I use to create tattoos. However, the final result on the skin will not look exactly like it does on the computer screen. I want the tattoo on the skin to look even more realistic,” she said.
The artist, who has an artistic education, believes that artificial intelligence can become a useful tool for tattoo creators.
“Some things you just come up with in your head. You can’t always look for them in photos,” she said.
According to B. Fuzes, currently about 70% of her clients come to the salon already having AI-generated images.
Not every AI-created image can be transferred to the skin
However, an AI-generated image that looks impressive on a computer screen is not necessarily suitable for a tattoo. Artificial intelligence does not always assess how lighting, shadows, or very fine details will look on the skin.
According to B. Fuzes, what looks convincing in the picture may not work at all on the skin. Moreover, over time, the tattoo may lose some of its brightness, and the finest details may blur and become unreadable.
“People think that everything they see can simply be transferred to the skin. But sometimes there are just too many details, and some of them may not last over time,” said the tattoo artist.
“Don’t get me wrong – I love details, and my works are known precisely for them. But at the same time, I want to do everything so that the tattoo looks good even after many years,” she added.
AI – just another tool in the artist’s arsenal
David Corden, a tattoo artist working in Edinburgh, takes a rather pragmatic view of AI. In his opinion, it is simply another tool added to those that artists have used before.
Previously, when creating more detailed images, he used programs like Photoshop. Now AI helps restore old or poor-quality photos, including images of deceased relatives that clients want to immortalize in tattoos.
Some artists are much better than you could ever imagine.
However, D. Corden notes another problem – people increasingly think that any highly detailed digital drawing is created by AI.
“You see an Instagram video where an artist is working while looking at an iPad screen, and people immediately say: ‘This is an AI-generated image.’ No, it’s not AI,” he said.
“Some artists are much better than you could ever imagine,” added D. Corden.
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Not all artists use AI
However, there are tattoo artists who do not use artificial intelligence in their creativity.
Tiago Miranda from the studio “Disturbia Ink” creates his dark, horror-inspired drawings from imagination.
Unlike many tattoo artists, he does not rely on photos. His works are born spontaneously – from moments of inspiration and hundreds of pencil sketches that he collects in his notes.
Tattoo artist Ellie Diamond also looks cautiously at AI. Although she increasingly receives clients bringing AI-generated images themselves, she does not consider the technology a substitute for creativity.
“If a person comes with an idea and says: ‘Here is what I made,’ I say: ‘Okay, we can use that, but I will draw you much better than a computer can,'” she said.
Okay, we can use that, but I will draw you much better than a computer can.
According to E. Diamond, often the best tattoos are born when the client simply says: “Here is my idea, I like your work, so do with it what you want.”
Can AI replace tattoo artists?
The role of artificial intelligence in the tattoo world is increasingly discussed, and tattoos are becoming more common in Europe.
A study published in 2026 showed that in Sweden, at least one tattoo is present in 29% of adults aged 20–68. A 2025 study in France involving more than 111,000 adults showed that 11.5% of people have tattoos.
However, longtime tattoo artist Dan Gold does not believe AI can take over his job.
He is more concerned about how generative AI systems collect and use the material they are trained on.
“There should be some kind of AI tax or something similar because they use all this data for free,” said D. Gold.
E. Diamond also does not believe that machines could replace the human tattooing experience.
“Obviously, there is something very innate and human here. So I am not afraid that machines will take over everything,” she said.
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