AI has become a polarising topic. Levi Strauss & Co. and Amsterdam-based AI startup Lalaland are finding it the hard way.
Last week, Levi’s confirmed that it will begin testing AI-generated clothing models later this year.
The planned test from the denim company also made its partnership with Lalaland official.
With the Lalaland partnership, Levi Strauss & Co. wants to diversify its online shopping experience.
On its app as well as on its website, Levi’s currently allows users to view its products on a single clothing model.
By using an AI-generated clothing model, Levi’s argued that it can bring inclusive shopping experience to its customers.
However, the claim that its partnership will begin to “supplement human models” in the press release drew immediate backlash.
Use of AI draws backlash
Fashion industry has long struggled with diversity and inclusion, and some brands have made real strides in bringing diverse models to their catalogue.
However, the industry believes use of AI-generated fashion models could be the way to represent diverse body types and skin tones.
With Lalaland, which specialises in AI-generated models, Levi’s also aimed to increase representation of its product models.
However, many critics immediately wondered why the denim company is not hiring real models instead.
As reported by The Independent, the use of AI-generated models to promote diversity was immediately branded as “lazy”, “problematic”, and “racist.”
Earlier this week, Levi’s tried to clarify its use of AI to promote diversity by saying it was not a “means to advance diversity” or “a substitute for the real action that must be taken to deliver on our diversity, equity and inclusion goals.”
So, I guess for some companies, it’s just easier to generate fake non-white people with AI than it is to actually pay real non-white models for their work? This technology deprives people of opportunities, and now it seems like it helps companies perpetuate racism. https://t.co/NF666iNdco
— Glynn Tarrant (@GlynnTarrant) March 26, 2023
The decision by Levi’s to use AI-generated models was called out by most on social media as “depriving people of opportunities.”
There are hundreds, THOUSANDS of diverse models out there who can model for your brand. @LEVIS this is lazy and not the answer to being and understanding the importance of diversity in your campaigns. https://t.co/14u2UCEw56
— James Welsh ???? (@James_s_welsh) March 25, 2023
“There are hundreds, THOUSANDS of diverse models out there who can model for your brand,” one Twitter user said.
This is soo damn problematic and not the answer https://t.co/NPDmJVa4kx
— Jamira Burley (@JamiraBurley) March 26, 2023
“This is soo damn problematic and not the answer,” another wrote on the micro-blogging platform.
Levi’s and failure to explain
Levi’s and its peers in the industry have a real problem when it comes to representation of their products with diverse body types and skin tones.
By using AI, the company aimed to help customers frustrated when clothing items do not represent their own body type.
However, Levi’s failed to answer a number of questions, including its claim that use of AI-generated models will be more “sustainable.”
It also failed to adequately explain how it plans to keep real human models alongside use of AI-generated models.
Levi’s laid off 800 employees in 2022 in an effort to slash operating costs and its recent announcement seemed like another attempt to save money.
Since its original announcement, Levi’s has responded to concerns of AI use, claiming it is “not scaling back our plans for live photo shoots, the use of live models, or our commitment to working with diverse models.”
“The Lalaland.ai partnership may deliver some business efficiencies that provide consumers with a better sense of what a given product looks like but should not have been conflated with the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion commitment or strategy,” the company said in a statement.
“While AI will likely never fully replace human models for us, we are excited for the potential capabilities this may afford us for the consumer experience,” said Dr. Amy Gershkoff Bolles, global head of digital and emerging technology strategy at Levi Strauss & Co.
Diversifying the fashion industry
Founded in 2019, Lalaland is a black-owned AI company that aims to “diversify the fashion industry and challenge the status quo when it comes to inclusivity, sustainability and innovation.”
The Amsterdam-based startup generates full-body fashion models for e-commerce brands to help them show their collections on models that actually represent their customers.
Levi’s is not the first company to partner with Lalaland. Fashion industry giants Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger have also worked with Lalaland.
It raised €2.1M in a new pre-Series-A round of funding led by Orange Wings and Unknown Group in June last year.
Silicon Canals has contacted Lalaland and Orange Wings for comment. We will update this story when we hear from them.
By affirming that its partnership with Lalaland “should not have been conflated” with company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, Levi’s is trying to reaffirm its commitment to live photoshoots.
With easier access to generative AI tools and their competence, more companies are turning to AI.
Coca-Cola used AI tools such as GPT-4 and Dall-E to generate original artwork while Mattel has also begun using AI for its new Hot Wheels idea.
Walmart and Amazon Fashion, on the other hand, are turning to the use of AR and virtual try-on to allow users to try clothing before purchase.
AI has become a divisive topic in the industry with Goldman Sachs predicting AI could replace 300 million jobs while an open letter by the Future of Life Institute with 1,000 plus signatures calls for a pause on training of systems “more powerful than GPT-4.”
As companies weave more AI into their products and services, their prerogative should be to better communicate how they use AI and its impact.
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