There are artificial intelligence (AI) models, and then they are AI fashion models.
In a fashion trend of sorts, H&M, one of the world’s largest clothing retailers, is the latest industry icon to announce it’s working with models and their agencies to create digital twins of 30 models this year to be used in AI-generated images for social-media posts and marketing campaigns. The models will own rights to their twins.
“We are curious to explore how to showcase our fashion in new creative ways – and embrace the benefits of new technology – while staying true to our commitment to personal style,” H&H Chief Creative Officer Jörgen Andersson said in a statement announcing the digital models.
H&M said it is partnering with Uncut, a Swedish tech firm, in development of the models’ AI likenesses. H&M, based in Sweden, has more than 4,000 stores worldwide.
Images of AI models by H&M are likely to be initially used in social media posts with watermarks clearly identifying they are AI. Instagram and TikTok require users to disclose the use of AI to create realistic content, and it is labelled as such to inform audiences.
Though H&M is still “exploring” how these avatars will be used, it is working with others in the industry, like agencies and the models themselves, to carry out this initiative in “a responsible way,” according to H&M.
While it would be fashionable to say H&M is breaking the mold in a market steeped in tradition, it is not the first to explore AI-like models.
More than two years ago, Levi Strauss & Co. said it would use AI-generated models to “supplement human models” though it hastened to add “we are not scaling back our plans for live photo shoots,” following a torrent of criticism.
Nearly a year ago, Spanish brand Mango launched a campaign generated entirely by AI to promote a new collection of its youth range. Hugo Boss has dabbled in using generative AI for product images. Indeed, last year saw the world’s first-ever AI beauty pageant.
Still, H&M’s use of AI in place of humans — already a major sticking point among workers worldwide — has sparked backlash within the fashion industry, where the careers of many workers can be short and precarious. Sara Ziff, a model- turned-labor-activist who founded the non-profit organization Model Alliance, told CNN she had “serious concerns about the use of digital replicas without meaningful protections in place.”
“In an industry that has historically been a backwater for workers’ rights, H&M’s new initiative raises critical questions about consent and compensation, and has the potential to replace a host of fashion workers — including make-up artists, hair stylists, and other creative artists in our community,” Ziff said in a statement.
Paul W. Fleming, general secretary for the UK’s performing arts and entertainment trade union Equity, added that any agreements must be “backed up by the widespread adoption of AI protections in union agreements and legislation that protects workers’ rights.”
“The race to ‘innovate’ in the area of artificial intelligence must also not be a race to the bottom to increase profits,” he said. “Artificial intelligence would not be possible without human artistry and labor, and humans should remain at the center of creative endeavors.”
