Some detractors of Levi Strauss & Co.'s collaboration with AI design company Lalaland.ai, which sought to show online shoppers various types of people wearing Levi's clothing, charged the company with trying to address representational issues on the cheap while potentially driving professional models from their jobs.
“When you have to hire a model, book an agency, have a stylist, do the makeup, feed them on set — all that costs money,” said Shawn Grain Carter, a professor of fashion business management at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. “Let’s make no mistake about it, Levi’s is doing this because this saves them money.”
A representative for Levi's cited a statement in which the corporation denied having any financial savings goals for the initiative. The firm claimed that its live model photoshoots will still be used in addition to, not in substitute of, the AI models it planned to release. A comment from Lalaland was not forthcoming.
Concerns about technology replacing human labor are nothing new, and the fashion industry is by no means an exception. Although AI has long been employed in the fashion industry, some employees are becoming increasingly alarmed as they observe its expansion.
Yanii Gough, a model and the founder of Yanii Models, where she works with over 100 models, said that many are still “dying to get back to consistency” as the industry re-emerges from pandemic-related disruptions. With the rise of AI modeling firms, clients can simply “send an email to the agency and say, ‘Hey, this is exactly what I’m looking for,’ and someone will find that person,” she said, referring to companies that book models for everything from photoshoots to fittings.
There is some precedent for concerns like Gough’s.
Shudu, who is regarded as the first digital supermodel in the world and was founded in 2017, has signed contracts with luxury companies like Louis Vuitton and BMW in the last 12 months. Shudu, an AI model that was supposed to seem like a Black woman, also attracted criticism for the AI modeling agency The Digitials and its white founder Cameron-James Wilson.
For brands and advertisers looking to employ AI to help market and sell garments, choices are now expanding. Along with Lalaland, a new AI firm called Deep Agency also enables customers to construct a virtual photoshoot using either synthetic models or an AI representation of a real person.
Gough stated that she is concerned about models' photographs being used by AI without their consent; this issue is shared by Sara Ziff, the founder of the Model Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group.
“Fit models may be replaced by AI body scans,” she said, adding that these models — who try on clothes for designers and manufacturers to check sizing and silhouettes — are already calling her organization in growing numbers. Ziff said some have complained that companies are hiring them to conduct body scans, which can form the basis for product development without their knowledge or receiving compensation. “So they’re able to design the clothes on virtually using a scan of the model’s body, rather than actually having to book the model in person,” said Ziff, who declined to provide examples, citing the Model Alliance’s policy of maintaining an anonymous hotline for industry workers to flag complaints.
Fashion companies have defended their use of AI as extra features that assist consumers, and the AI design studios and agencies operating in the industry use a similar term to explain their work. For instance, the creators of Lalaland have stated that they started the business in order to increase diversity in fashion in a sustainable way. It is not legally required for agents and management firms to inform models that their body scans may be utilized on additional projects without payment when booking them for the kinds of assignments Ziff outlined. Ziff is arguing in favor of the New York Fashion Workers Act, which she claims would compel employers to provide more information about the nature of the labor and compensation.
According to Ziff, there are also legal ambiguities around models' ability to form unions, which leads to a lack of labor protections.
Since the majority of models are regarded as independent contractors, many are more likely to face legal action or agency retaliation. The ability to establish standards and best practices for the use of AI in respective disciplines belongs to representatives of other creative professionals, such as the Writers Guild of America.
In the meantime, AI models have gotten so lifelike that many consumers can no longer tell them apart from pictures of people. Influencer Ashley France expressed her hope that regulators will intervene after criticizing Levi's association with Lalaland.
"I feel like it should be the same type of regulations," France said. "The same way that we have to put a PSA that something's an ad, that something's a dietary supplement, or now, thankfully, that something is photoshopped."
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FAQs:
Q: What is the controversy surrounding Levi's collaboration with AI models?
A: Levi's plan to test AI-created virtual models drew criticism primarily due to concerns about representational issues, potential job displacement for professional models, and cost-saving motives.
Q: How does AI impact the fashion industry, particularly for models and their work?A: AI advancements in modeling could potentially change how models are hired, used in photoshoots, and even scanned for body measurements, raising concerns about consent and compensation.
Q: What are the concerns raised by industry professionals like Yanii Gough and Sara Ziff regarding AI in modeling?
A: Yanii Gough expresses concerns about the ease of booking AI models over human models, potentially affecting job opportunities. Sara Ziff highlights issues regarding AI using models' body scans without their consent.
Q: What is the stance of fashion companies and AI design studios regarding the use of AI in fashion?
A: Fashion companies defend AI as an additional tool for consumer assistance, while AI studios like Lalaland claim their goal is to enhance diversity in a sustainable manner.
Q: Are there legal implications or regulations surrounding the use of AI models in the fashion industry?
A: Legal ambiguities exist regarding models' rights, consent, and compensation regarding the use of their likeness by AI. There are discussions about the need for regulations and better labor protections.
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