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

Gucci AI Images Draw Sharp Criticism Ahead of Fashion Show

Gucci is facing intense scrutiny after the iconic fashion house posted AI-generated images on social media to promote its forthcoming show at Milan Fashion Week 1

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. The promotional campaign has triggered a social media backlash, with users questioning how luxury brands using AI instead of human models and photographers aligns with Gucci's longstanding commitment to creativity and Italian craftsmanship 1

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. One user captured the sentiment bluntly: "Bleak days when Gucci can't find a real human Milanese grandmother to wear an outfit from 1976," responding to an AI-generated rendering of a glamorous older Italian woman in classic Gucci attire 1

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The controversy arrives as Gucci creative director Demna Gvasalia prepares to present his vision on the runway for the first time in Milan on Friday 1

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. Starting February 23, Gucci began posting promotional images for its Primavera Fashion Show, beginning with traditional imagery before shifting to AI-generated content clearly labeled "Created with AI" 2

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. The AI images included renderings of a woman in a fur coat in a restaurant, legs emerging from a car's backseat, two models against the night sky, and a sports car—all scenes that could easily have been created with traditional photography 2

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Why Luxury Brands Face Unique Risks with Generative AI

Critics have labeled the images as examples of AI slop, a term describing the deluge of often low-quality AI-generated material flooding social media platforms 1

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. The Gucci AI criticism highlights a fundamental tension: what defines exclusivity and artisan craftsmanship in an era when technology can replicate visual content at minimal cost 2

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? For a fashion house owned by parent company Kering, the decision to use cost-cutting technology for high fashion marketing has raised eyebrows across the industry 1

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Dr. Priscilla Chan, senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University's Fashion Institute, warned that while some innovations generate positive publicity, AI risks creating negative attention instead 1

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. "I think particularly luxury brands need to pay attention [to whether] the latest technology can create positive image for their brands," Dr. Chan said 1

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. The concern centers on whether AI-generated images undermine brand image by contradicting the very values that justify premium pricing.

Mixed Reactions and Industry Implications for Advertising

Not all responses have been negative. Some social media users defended Gucci, saying the brand captured "Milano glam" without losing its essence 1

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. Photographer Tati Bruening, known as illumitati on TikTok where she has 2.4 million followers, suggested there might be appropriate uses for AI in fashion, including retouching, small edits, or creating mood boards 1

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. "There is a difference between enhancing or editing simple things with AI vs. image generation," Bruening explained 1

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. She also speculated that Gucci might be deliberately provoking debate about what high fashion means in the AI era, with the images serving as a form of commentary or parody 1

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This isn't Gucci's first experiment with the technology. The brand previously commissioned digital artists to produce visuals, including AI-generated images auctioned as non-fungible tokens by Christie's 1

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. In December, Gucci released an AI-generated video showing a model strutting down the runway while photographers literally fell over themselves to capture her 1

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. Other brands, including retailer H&M, have explored generative AI tools for social content and advertising, often framing it as a creative exercise 1

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. The backlash mirrors reactions to Svedka Vodka's Super Bowl ad, which social media users called "nightmare fuel," with one fan suggesting the cheap vodka brand "can't afford a real budget for an ad" 2

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. The BBC has contacted Gucci and Kering for comment 1

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