H&M has revealed plans to use AI to create digital versions of 30 real life models to use in its advertising materials.
These AI-generated models will be used for marketing campaigns and social media posts, the Swedish fashion retailer told Business of Fashion.
“People will be divided,” acknowledged H&M CEO Jörgen Andersson. “[But] we saw that as a way, as a big player in the industry, to lead a conversation that takes the model, the agency and the best interest of the fashion industry into consideration.”
The retailer said it is collaborating with technology company Uncut to photograph the models from various angles and under different lighting conditions. Uncut describes itself as offering a “custom-built AI ecosystem” that makes content creation “more affordable”.
H&M has just recorded a drop in sales following the closure of 35 of its bricks and mortar strores.
Models will reportedly retain the rights to their digital likeness, allowing them to decide which campaigns they star in. A yet-to-be-decided compensation scheme will reportedly be structured like the current system, where models are paid for the usage rights of their images.
Images that use the AI versions will be watermarked to alert viewers that the imagery they are seeing was created by a computer.
H&M described the AI models as a “digital twin” — a phrase that has become popular in the architecture and construction industries, where virtual models of buildings are created to test systems and allow teams in different locations to work on the project and run analysis.
These AI models could cut costs for the fashion retailer, allowing them to produce marketing imagery without having to book shoot locations, stylists, or indeed a photographer.
But it is unclear what benefit it would offer the consumer, who probably wants to see what the clothes on sale look like on a real human body.
Levi’s caused controversy in 2023 when it used entirely AI-generated models to promote its products. The denim brand said it was a cost-effective way to represent different body types and skin tones to model its clothes.
In response to a wave of criticism over the scheme, which saw the brand accused of finding ways to not pay non-white models, Levi’s released a statement promising that it wouldn’t scale back on live photo shoots.
