Why fashion brands are AI-cloning models

DW (English)

Fashion brands are using virtual models to showcase its clothing. Some say it’s the future of fashion, others think it’s bad for real people. Here's what you need to know.

Transcript

00:00H&M is betting on AI. They're creating digital clones of their models.

00:04FashionSide, the business of fashion, shared pictures of these AI doppelgangers

00:09and they look super real. How will H&M use them? Social media ads? Short videos? It's not clear yet.

00:15And they're not the first to dip into the technology. Levi's and Mango have already

00:20used not just digital clones but fully AI-generated models and got major backlash.

00:26Why do people hate this idea? Couldn't it be a good thing? But first, how are they created anyway?

00:33H&M's digital clones are based on real models. It'll work something like this. To create the

00:39digital doppelgangers, they take tons of pictures in motion from different angles and in different

00:45lighting. All those images are then used to build a digital version of the model. Now H&M can put

00:51them in any outfit, anytime. Other companies go fully AI, no real models at all. Just upload a

00:59product photo, pick a model and a background and let AI do the rest. With these tools, we could all

01:05quickly create fashion ads that look like real model shoots. Possibilities seem endless. Some

01:10see this as a positive. The appearance of virtual models can easily be tailored to the target

01:17audience. Brands can change body types, skin tones, even ages to help you imagine how clothes

01:23might look on you. AI models have tremendous potential to really talk to the consumer in a

01:29very specific and persuasive way because they can look very similar to themselves, the

01:36consumer in themselves, or a family member, a trusted friend. When it comes to digital clones,

01:43human models might also benefit. They can let their digital clone do the work and therefore need

01:48to travel less, all while still getting paid. So if virtual models are so great, why are people so

01:54upset about them? Well, there are some serious concerns. Companies that offer AI solutions for

02:01fashion labels say they promote diversity. But critics argue that brands should just hire diverse

02:08human models because the people profiting might not be diverse. One example, artist Cameron James

02:14Wilson used AI to create the virtual model Shudu, a black woman. He marketed her to brands and

02:20magazines. But Wilson himself is a white man. Many people weren't happy about that. Also, AI-generated

02:28models might alienate us as consumers. I think very soon, if not right now, we as consumers feel

02:36really frustrated because we're not sure that that image, that video, that recording of a voice

02:44is actually authentic. It's almost impossible to discern what is real and what is fake,

02:51at least for the average consumer. H&M says they label it whenever they use AI to create something.

02:57Social media companies have been trying to establish a standard for AI labels for a while now,

03:02but without real success. Lastly, there's questions of copyright and consent. Companies

03:08creating AI fashion models train their programs using photos from the internet, including real

03:14models' faces. Were they asked? Were they paid? Probably not. And even if it's a digital clone,

03:21who owns the rights to use it? The model, the brand, or the agency that built it? H&M says

03:28they'll do it the right way. The fashion giant said the models themselves would own their digital

03:34clones. They get paid every time their AI twin is used and that they could potentially also use it

03:40to work for other brands. Workers' rights group Model Alliance said that this must be reinforced

03:46with meaningful protections. New York, for example, recently passed a bill aimed at protecting models.

03:52It also includes guidelines on digital replicas. Model Alliance also warns that even if the models

03:58themselves are fairly paid, there's lots of other workers who might lose their jobs.

04:03Set designers, stylists, or makeup artists. What do you think about digital models? Let us know.

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