Gucci faces backlash over AI images ahead of Milan Fashion Week debut under new creative director

Gucci criticised for 'AI slop' images ahead of major fashion show

Gucci is facing a backlash after using AI to generate images to promote its forthcoming show at Milan Fashion Week. The images have been posted on social media - where users have questioned how using AI instead of human models and photographers is in keeping with the fashion house's claim that it celebrates "creativity and Italian craftsmanship." "Bleak days when Gucci can't find a real human Milanese grandmother to wear an outfit from 1976," said one in response to an AI-generated image of a glamourous older Italian woman in a classic Gucci outfit. The BBC has contacted Gucci and its parent company Kering for comment. The pictures have been clearly labelled as "created with AI" - but critics say they are an example of "AI slop", a term for the deluge of often low quality AI-generated material that is flooding social media. Others have questioned why a high fashion company would need to use the cost-cutting tech for its marketing. It comes as Gucci creative director, Demna Gvasalia, prepares to present his vision on the runway for the first time in Milan on Friday. However, it is not the first time the Italian fashion giant has used the technology in its marketing. Gucci previously commissioned digital artists to produce visuals, including AI-generated images, auctioned as non-fungible tokens by Christie's. In December, it released an AI-generated video of a model strutting down the runway while photographers behind her fall over themselves - literally - to capture her. A flurry of other designer and high-street brands, including retailer H&M, have also explored the use of generative AI tools for social content and advertising, often citing this as a creative exercise. Dr Priscilla Chan, senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University's Fashion Institute, said there were risks to firms turning to tech for their marketing. She said some previous innovations had generated "a lot of free positive publicity" - but the risk with AI was that it risked "a lot negative publicity instead". "I think particularly luxury fashion brands need to pay attention [to whether] the latest technology can create positive image for their brands," Dr Chan said. Not all social media users have criticised the images - with some saying Gucci has managed to capture "Milano glam" without losing its essence. Tati Bruening, a photographer with 2.4 million followers on TikTok, where she is known as illumitati, told BBC News there was a place for AI in fashion. "There are ways to use AI that is non-invasive to the creative ecosystem and I see no problem with that," she said, adding this could involve things like retouching, small edits or making mood boards. "There is a difference between enhancing or editing simple things with AI vs. image generation." However, she said she also did not rule out that Gucci might be deliberately seeking to start a debate on what high fashion is in the AI era, with the images being a kind of parody. "I don't feel that this campaign was necessarily made to reflect luxury but create commentary on what luxury actually is," she added. Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.

Gucci just proved why luxury brands shouldn't use AI

What are the hallmarks of a luxury brand? Exclusivity, artisan craftsmanship, and a high price tag to match. But iconic fashion house Gucci may have just learned the hard way that advertising can undermine all those qualities -- especially if it's made with AI. On February 23, Gucci started posting promotional images for its upcoming Primavera Fashion Show, its first show under new creative director Demna. The first few photos were inoffensive -- Michelangelo's David statue, a pair of leather loafers -- but then, things took a turn. The next four pictures Gucci posted came with a disclaimer in their captions: "Created with AI." The AI-generated ads included renderings of a woman in a fur coat in the middle of a restaurant, a pair of legs emerging from a car's backseat, two models framed against the night sky, and a sports car. They were all images that could easily have been created traditionally with models and photography, leaving fashion fans online scratching their heads as to why Gucci would turn to AI. AI-generated content often falls flat in advertising. Take Svedka Vodka's now infamous Super Bowl ad, which featured a robotic duo straight from the uncanny valley. Social media users decried the ad as "nightmare fuel," with one self-described Svedka fan rationalizing that "with how cheap it is they can't afford a real budget for an ad."