New York City, USA – Last week, the fashion world converged on New York City for New York Fashion Week (NYFW). The bi-annual event celebrated the best in the industry and showcased this season's hottest trends. NYFW brings in huge profits for New York City and the fashion industry as a whole. On average, this event brings in a staggering $600 million annually.
But regardless of the obvious economic and cultural value this event brings, we are faced with the same existential threat that besets sectors such as media and technology: artificial intelligence will erode existing jobs and threaten future work opportunities. has been overshadowed by the restrictions on Behind the glitz and glamor lies largely the same fear that led to last year's Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild strikes: protection of likeness.
“When your body is a business, having your image manipulated or sold without your permission is a violation of your rights,” Sara Ziff, founder and executive director of Model Alliance, said in a statement.
Eve Edmond is a model based in New York City. She says there's a lot of room for leverage thanks to the new era of AI-driven modeling.
“There are people in this industry who have had their bodies scanned or have created virtual selves using photos collected over years, and they have no ownership. has no right to it at all,” Edmond told Al Jazeera.
She fears this could hurt her modeling job opportunities in the near future.
“As models, our image, measurements, posture, and body shape are our brand. Often, without our knowledge or compensation, someone else has taken ownership of that brand. We are literally competing with ourselves in the marketplace,” Edmund added.
Edmond is one of many models who are passionate about reform and are pushing for New York State's fashion worker law. Among other major changes, we provide new safeguards to protect your models from clients who try to use your images without your permission. The law requires models to give explicit written consent for digital replicas of their likenesses.
You should also explain how your client plans to use the images. The model alliance is behind this bill.
“We introduced the Fashion Workers Act to create fundamental labor protections for models and content creators working in an industry that operates with notorious lack of oversight. Misuse of generative AI presents new challenges and cannot be left unregulated,” said Ziff of The Model Alliance.
The bill, authored by state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Segal, would change the way the fashion industry works in one of the world's most iconic fashion cities, rivaling cities like Paris and Milan.
The models argue that this also prevents people from signing unfair contracts when the alternative is no job at all.
“I don't want to end up in a world where models feel like they're being forced to consent or they won't get paid,” model Sinead Bobel told Al Jazeera.
If passed, it will become a state-level law, but it will be a stepping stone to more global promotion.
existential threat
As the use of AI spreads into sectors ranging from media to customer service, business leaders say it can help improve workflows and make employees' jobs easier with the help of new tools. .
But that's not reflected in the data. According to Resume Builder's November survey, nearly one-third of business leaders say AI will lead to layoffs this year alone.
These are some of the concerns that are growing globally, as AI poses an existential threat by undermining work opportunities around the world, especially for communities of color.
Models like Bovell have voiced this concern as they fight for more inclusivity in fashion.
“We're going to see companies that take advantage of all the sacrifices of real human models and instead generate multiple identities on the front end,” Bovell said.
“Brands may be profiting from a community's marginalized identity without actually paying for it,” Bovell added.
That's exactly what happened with Levi Strauss last year. The brand has started a partnership with Dutch company LaLaLand.ai, which enables customization of AI-generated models. The company said in a release:
“Lalaland.ai uses advanced artificial intelligence to enable fashion brands and retailers to create hyper-realistic models of all body shapes, ages, sizes, and skin tones. We aim to create a more inclusive, personal and sustainable shopping experience for fashion brands, retailers and customers.”
The move was met with public backlash, with critics calling it problematic and racist. The clothing company has since updated its statement.
“We have no intention of scaling back on our plans for live photoshoots, using live models, or working with diverse models. Authentic storytelling has always been a part of how we connect with our fans, and we believe that human ’s models and collaborators are at the core of that experience.”
Some companies are trying to eliminate the model altogether. Last year, both Vogue Brasil and Vogue Singapore featured AI-generated models on their covers instead of human models.
Companies like Deep Agency have created AI-generated models to model clothing. Danny Postma, who created the tool, said in a post on the social media platform now known as X that the tool will help marketers and social media influencers.
In response to his thread, there was considerable public backlash among the applause.
Critics said the concept was highly unethical and undermined the work of both the models and those involved in the process, such as photographers.
Some accused the company of a cash grab and described the move as dystopian. One user called Postma and said:
“If this technology is successful, we should also have a strong proposition to help all the people who lose their jobs, right? Or is it okay if we just make some cash? A good “solution” is, “Let’s solve it.” It causes more problems than what it does. ”
This tool is not available for beta testing. According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr. Postma has no experience in fashion or photography, but he has developed a series of his AI products so far.
