Fashion's AI era: face swaps and digital clones

London, October 27, 2023: Artificial intelligence-generated fashion models present an alluring prospect for brands, enabling them to produce lifelike images for their e-commerce platforms while slashing costs by up to 90 percent compared to traditional photo shoots with human models. However, this technology poses a significant threat to the modeling industry due to the lack of regulations governing the ownership or use of digital twins.

Models risk having their images replicated without compensation or even being replaced by entirely synthetic models. Reuters interviewed 15 model-agency directors and examined over a dozen confidential photo-shoot contracts to understand how AI is transforming the economics of fashion modeling. The contracts included provisions for swapping a model's face with another using AI, creating digital clones without additional compensation, and using a model's body to train AI.

Some companies are repurposing or modifying images of existing models, while others are utilizing entirely AI-generated models. Modeling agencies are seeing bookings decline, photo studios closing, and models facing a significant reduction in their livelihoods due to the rapid expansion of AI use in the industry.