diff --git a/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.html b/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.html
index 2275de8470..4f06497075 100644
--- a/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.html
+++ b/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.html
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@
                     </span>
                 </button>
                 <span ng-class="{'image-info--multiple': ctrl.selectedImages.size > 0}"
-                      editable-text="ctrl.peopleInSelectedImages"
+                      editable-text="ctrl.metadata.peopleInImage"
                       ng-hide="peopleInImageEditForm.$visible"
                       onbeforesave="ctrl.updateMetadataField('peopleInImage', $data)"
                       e:form="peopleInImageEditForm"
@@ -383,7 +383,7 @@
                                    'image-info__editor--saving': peopleInImageEditForm.$waiting,
                                    'text-input': true}">
 
-                <ui-list-editor-info-panel
+                    <ui-list-editor-info-panel
                         images="ctrl.selectedImages"
                         add-to-images="ctrl.addPersonToImages"
                         remove-from-images="ctrl.removePersonFromImages"
@@ -595,6 +595,7 @@
     </dl>
 </div>
 
+
 <div class="image-info">
     <dl class="image-info__group">
         <dt class="flex-container">
diff --git a/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.js b/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.js
index 7da1ad5976..e79239c711 100644
--- a/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.js
+++ b/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.js
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ module.controller('grImageMetadataCtrl', [
       inject$($scope, Rx.Observable.fromPromise(selectedUsageCategory(ctrl.usageRights)), ctrl, 'usageCategory');
       ctrl.rawMetadata = rawMetadata();
       ctrl.metadata = displayMetadata();
-      ctrl.peopleInSelectedImages = selectedPeople();
       ctrl.extraInfo = extraInfo();
       if (ctrl.singleImage) {
         updateSingleImage();
@@ -97,7 +96,10 @@ module.controller('grImageMetadataCtrl', [
 
     ctrl.updateMetadataField = function (field, value) {
       var imageArray = Array.from(ctrl.selectedImages);
-
+      if (field === 'peopleInImage') {
+        ctrl.addPersonToImages(imageArray, value)
+        return
+      }
       return editsService.batchUpdateMetadataField(
         imageArray,
         field,
@@ -297,15 +299,6 @@ module.controller('grImageMetadataCtrl', [
       return imageList.getOccurrences(labels);
     }
 
-    function selectedPeople() {
-    let peopleInSelectedImages = [];
-      ctrl.selectedImages.map((image) => {
-        const currentPeopleInImage = ctrl.peopleAccessor(image);
-        peopleInSelectedImages = peopleInSelectedImages.concat(currentPeopleInImage);
-      });
-      return [... new Set(peopleInSelectedImages)];
-    }
-
     function selectedUsageRights() {
       return ctrl.selectedImages.map(image => {
         return {