Clothing retailer H&M is making AI clones for 30 of its models and will start posting AI-generated fashion images to social media and including them in marketing campaigns.
Unsurprisingly, the news has not gone down well in all quarters. While H&M says the models will own the rights to their AI twins and there will be some sort of compensation for the rights to their image, many have asked what will happen to photographers, hair and makeup artists, and other creatives involved in a shoot.
The AI twins are created by taking numerous photos of the model from different angles and in different lighting. This large amount of data is then fed into a machine-learning algorithm that can reproduce images in their likeness.
Industry outlet The Business of Fashion which broke the story, says H&M sees the models as a “complement to their physical counterparts” rather than a replacement. The technology will allow models to book a shoot while at the same time booking their clone on another shoot. Theoretically, they will be in two places at the same time.
An image on the paywalled website shows two images of model Mathilda Gvarlini, one is real and one is AI-generated, and it is almost impossible to tell the difference — even her boyfriend says he can’t tell them apart.
Backlash
As news of H&M’s plans has trickled out, there has been more and more pushback. “Boycotting H&M for AI model usage. Use REAL HUMANS,” writes Tarzy B photographer beneath a recent H&M Instagram post.
“Why would a company think using AI models is going to be a good look for them,” writes another user. “We want to see real people in real clothes who put all their creativity into it. H&M has no respect for the work of artists,” writes photographer Leonie.
Former Harper’s Bazaar editor Lucy Yeomans tells The Business of Fashion that: “If you think of someone like Steven Meisel [famous fashion photographer], he was always discovering that next model and everyone would ask, ‘Oh my gosh, is that beautiful?’ ‘Oh yes, it is beautiful’. I’m not sure whether AI will be able to look around the corner and predict what might be next.”
In a statement, H&M says: “While we understand that this will spark opinions, discussions, and uncertainty, we are humble in acknowledging that we do not hold all the answers at this point.”
“We will continue to explore with other creatives within the industry to see what generative AI can bring to any creative process while ensuring we maintain our human-centric approach,” it adds.
H&M isn’t the first fashion brand to use AI-generated models, Mango launched a campaign featuring fake computer-made images that look like real photos and while Levi’s used AI-generated models to “increase diversity.”
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
