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

Source: BBC Technology

Gucci is facing a backlash after using AI to generate images to promote its forthcoming show at Milan Fashion Week. The pictures, clearly labelled “created with AI”, have been posted on social media, prompting users to question how the use of AI instead of human models and photographers aligns with the fashion house’s claim that it celebrates “creativity and Italian craftsmanship”.

Criticism of the AI images

• Users mocked the AI‑generated image of an older Italian woman in a classic Gucci outfit, writing, “Bleak days when Gucci can’t find a real human Milanese grandmother to wear an outfit from 1976.”
• Critics have described the campaign as “AI slop”, a term for the flood of often low‑quality AI‑generated material on social media. [source]
• Others have questioned why a high‑fashion company would resort to cost‑cutting technology for its marketing. [source]

Gucci’s history with AI

This is not the first time the Italian fashion giant has used AI in its marketing. In December, Gucci released an AI‑generated video showing a model strutting down the runway while photographers behind her literally fell over themselves to capture her. A number of other designers and high‑street brands, including retailer H&M, have also experimented with generative AI tools for social content and advertising, often framing it as a creative exercise. [BBC article]

Expert and community responses

Dr Priscilla Chan, senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Fashion Institute, warned that while past innovations have generated “a lot of free positive publicity,” AI carries the risk of “a lot of negative publicity instead.” She added, “I think particularly luxury fashion brands need to pay attention to whether the latest technology can create a positive image for their brands.”

Not all reactions were negative. Some social‑media users praised the images for capturing “Milano glam” without losing Gucci’s essence.

Tati Bruening, a photographer with 2.4 million TikTok followers (known as illumitati), said there is 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.”
“There is a difference between enhancing or editing simple things with AI vs. image generation.”

Bruening also suggested that Gucci might be deliberately sparking a debate about the nature of luxury in the AI era, noting that the campaign could be a form of parody:

“I don’t feel that this campaign was necessarily made to reflect luxury but to create commentary on what luxury actually is.”

Upcoming runway show

Gucci’s creative director, Demna Gvasalia, is set to present his vision on the runway for the first time in Milan on Friday, amid the ongoing discussion about the role of AI in high‑fashion marketing.