AI is already breaking into the photography of fashion catalogs

Distinguishing the real from the synthetic is becoming an almost impossible task. Fashion photographers and catalog models are some of the professions also threatened by the arrival of generative artificial intelligence. One of the big casual clothing companies, Levi Strauss, has started a controversial campaign to test virtual models in its online store.

Although the announcement was accompanied by a politically correct message, respect for the ethnic diversity of the world population and the morphology of each individual, the shot has backfired on the company specializing in jeans.

Levi’s announcement stated that, later this year, it would begin testing the technology “using AI-generated models to complement human models.” In this way, it was intended to “increase the number and diversity of models for all its products” in a sustainable manner. Read cheaper.

“While AI will likely never fully replace human models, we are excited about the potential capabilities it can offer us for the consumer experience,” said Amy Gershkoff Bolles, global head of digital strategy and emerging technologies, Levi Strauss. .

“We believe – the company indicated – that our models should reflect our consumers, which is why we continue to diversify our human models in terms of size and body type, age and skin color”. The ultimate goal was to achieve “a more personal and inclusive shopping experience”.

Despite the fact that Levi Strauss pointed out that “diversity, equity and inclusion are a priority” for the company and that he did not see “the models generated by AI as a unique solution”, the controversy broke out, because some people understood that they were looking for that plurality in an artificial way.

The criticism on social networks was quite harsh. The company was accused of using the technology to create “fake non-white people” instead of paying “real non-white models” for that work. The controversy over the use of AI in the replacement of fashion photography models has only just begun, because there are other companies that also make use of this technology.

Levi Strauss has had to make some clarifications: “We do not see this pilot program as a means to advance diversity or as a substitute for the real action that must be taken to meet our diversity, equity and inclusion goals and should not have been presented as such”. The pilot project is “in the process of experimenting.” Levi Strauss explained that “industry standards for a photo shoot are generally limited to one or two models per product.” With AI, you’ll be able to post more images of your clothing on more body types, much faster.

The denim clothing company has partnered for this virtual model project with Lalaland.ai, a company founded in 2019, which, in addition to a free limited trial version, offers, starting at 480 euros per month, multiple sizes (S /M/L and XL), unlimited models, unlimited hairstyles and body shapes and up to 50 renders (artificial photos) per month.