A new figure has entered the supermodel ranks, one who is both striking and stylish, yet fundamentally unreal.
The August print edition of Vogue features a Guess advertisement showcasing a flawless blonde model in a striped maxi dress and floral playsuit from the brand’s summer line.
Discreetly placed in the corner, a small note reveals that the model was created using artificial intelligence.
While Vogue states this was not an editorial decision, this marks the first instance of an AI-generated person appearing in the magazine.
The advertisement has stirred controversy, raising concerns about its implications for real-life models who have championed greater diversity, and for consumers, particularly young individuals, already grappling with unrealistic beauty standards.
Seraphinne Vallora is the company responsible for the controversial Guess advertisement.
Its founders, Valentina Gonzalez and Andreea Petrescu, shared with the BBC that Guess co-founder Paul Marciano contacted them via Instagram to create an AI model for the brand’s summer campaign.
“We created 10 draft models for him, and he selected one brunette and one blonde for further development,” Gonzalez stated.
She clarified a common misconception that AI image generation is simple, explaining it as a complex process.
The company employs five individuals dedicated to creating AI models, a process that can span up to a month from conceptualization to completion. They estimate charging clients like Guess in the low six-figure range.
Felicity Hayward, a plus-size model with over a decade of industry experience, finds the use of AI models in fashion campaigns “lazy and cheap.”
“Guess is either seeking attention and free publicity, or aiming to cut costs without considering the implications.”
She describes Vogue’s decision to include the advertisement as “disheartening and quite scary,” expressing concern that it could undermine years of progress toward greater diversity in the industry.
The fashion world made substantial strides toward inclusivity in the 2010s. Valentina Sampaio became the first openly trans model to walk for Victoria’s Secret, Halima Aden was the first hijab-wearing model in global campaigns, and brands like Savage x Fenty showcased plus-size models on the runway.
However, Hayward believes the industry has regressed in recent years, as “these individuals are simply not being booked as often.”
The use of AI models is “another setback that will disproportionately affect plus-size models,” she warns.
Gonzalez and Petrescu firmly maintain they do not reinforce narrow beauty standards.
“We do not create unattainable looks. In fact, the AI model for Guess appears quite realistic,” Petrescu claims. “Ultimately, all advertisements aim for perfection and often feature supermodels, so what we’re doing is no different.”
They acknowledge that the AI images on their company’s Instagram page lack diversity and promote unrealistic beauty standards. They state that they have attempted to be more inclusive, but those posts receive less engagement from users.
“We’ve posted AI images of women with diverse skin tones, but people do not respond to them; we don’t get any traction or likes,” Gonzalez told the BBC.
“Ultimately, we are a business and use images on Instagram that will spark conversation and attract clients.”
The company has yet to experiment with creating plus-size women, citing that “the technology is not advanced enough for that.”
A 2024 Dove ad campaign was designed to highlight AI biases. The advertisement requested an image generator to create the most beautiful woman in the world, producing virtually indistinguishable women who were young, thin, white, with blonde hair and blue eyes. The images resembled the Guess AI model.
Hayward is concerned that these unattainable images could impact mental health and negatively affect body image.
Concerns surrounding unrealistic beauty standards and their damaging effects are not new. However, unlike traditional airbrushing, which at least started with a real person, AI models are digitally created to appear perfect, free from human flaws, inconsistencies, or uniqueness.
While high-profile figures like Ashley Graham, Jameela Jamil, and Bella Thorne have publicly opposed image editing and refuse to have their photos Photoshopped, the use of AI bypasses such conversations entirely.
Vogue’s decision to include an AI-generated advertisement has sparked debate on social media. One user on X wrote: “Wow! As if beauty expectations weren’t unrealistic enough, here comes AI to make them impossible. Even models can’t compete.”
Vanessa Longley, CEO of the eating disorder charity Beat, described the advertisement as “worrying” to the BBC.
“Exposure to images of unrealistic bodies can affect thoughts about one’s own body, and poor body image increases the risk of developing an eating disorder,” she stated.
Adding to the problem is the lack of transparency; there is no legal requirement to label AI-generated content in the UK.
Although Guess labeled its advertisement as AI-generated, the disclaimer is small and subtle, making it easy to overlook. At a glance, the image appears entirely lifelike.
Sinead Bovell, a former model and now tech entrepreneur, wrote an article for Vogue five years ago about the risks of AI replacing modeling.
She told the BBC that failing to clearly label AI content is “exceptionally problematic” because it could have detrimental effects on mental health.
“Beauty standards are already influenced by AI. Young girls are getting plastic surgery to look like a face in a filter, and now we see people who are entirely artificial,” she stated.
Beyond the impact of AI models on consumers, especially when unlabeled, what about the technology’s impact on those working in the fashion industry?
Sara Ziff, a former model and founder of Model Alliance, an organization promoting worker rights in the fashion industry, shared her opinion.
She views Guess’s AI campaign as “less about innovation and more about desperation and a need to cut costs.”
More broadly, she believes that AI in the fashion industry is not inherently exploitative but can often come at the expense of the individuals who bring it to life because there are many more staff involved in a photoshoot than just the model and the photographer.
“AI can positively impact the industry, but there need to be meaningful protections for workers,” she explained.
Seraphinne Vallora rejects the idea that they are displacing workers, stating their pioneering technology “is supplementary and not intended to replace models.”
“We’re offering companies another option in how they market a product,” Petrescu explained.
They added that their company has created jobs, and the process of creating AI models requires them to hire a real model and photographer to see how the product looks on a person in real life.
However, their website lists cost-efficiency as one of the benefits of working with them, as it “eliminates the need for expensive set-ups, MUA artists, venue rentals, stage setting, photographers, travel expenses, hiring models.”
Vogue has faced criticism for including the advertisement in its print edition, with one person on X stating that the fashion magazine has “lost credibility.”
Bovell stated that the magazine is “seen as the supreme court of the fashion industry,” so allowing the AI advertisement means they are “in some way ruling it as acceptable.”
The BBC approached Vogue and Guess for comment. Vogue stated it was an advertisement, not an editorial decision, but declined to comment further.
So, what does the future of the modeling industry look like?
Gonzalez and Petrescu believe their technology will be even more in demand by brands looking to innovate as it improves.
Bovell anticipates more AI-generated models in the future, but “we are not headed to a future where every model is created by AI.”
She sees positives in the development of AI in the industry, predicting that anyone could “start to see ourselves as the fashion models” because we will be able to create a personal AI avatar to see how clothes look and fit.
However, she added that we may reach a stage of “society opting out and not being interested in AI models because it’s so unattainable and we know it’s not real.”
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