Photos, copyright and consent
These clips are cheap to make and easy to misread. Five rules cover almost every question: use a photo you own or are authorised to use, get consent from anyone whose face appears, label the clip as AI, clear your music, and do not imply an affiliation that does not exist.
The photo is the permission question
Upload your own portrait, or one you have permission to use. A photo taken by someone else is usually their copyright even when you are the subject — a professional headshot, a friend’s group photo, an image pulled from a social feed. When in doubt, ask, or take a new photo with your phone.
Other people and public figures
A coworker, a friend, a client: ask before you put their face in a clip, especially one that will be published. Photos of celebrities and public figures are rejected, and no clip should be presented as a real person’s participation.
The group behind the desk is part of the fictional template, not a depiction of real people who agreed to anything.
Label it as AI
The clip is a fictional AI scene. Posting it as a joke is fine; posting it as evidence of a real event, a real performance or a real collaboration is not. One line of on-screen text or a caption is enough, and platforms increasingly expect the label anyway.
Music is your call
Outputs are silent, so nothing is licensed for you. Whatever track you add — a trending sound on TikTok, a song from a library, a friend’s recording — you are responsible for having the rights to use it. Adding it inside the platform is usually the safest route, because the platform’s own licensing covers it there.
Names and trademarks
NPR, Tiny Desk, artist names and label names belong to their owners. The template look borrows the visual language of an office concert; it does not borrow permission. Tiny Desk AI is independent, has no partnership with any of those parties, and the clip should not imply one.