By Isabella Brady
Whether it is on production lines, personal devices or marketing, artificial intelligence (AI) has been implemented in a variety of settings in recent years. However, in assigning yet another role for the intuitive technology, Levi’s, posed a controversial question for consumers: should AI replace individuals in the advertising field?
Claiming aspirations to “diversify” their models, the popular denim brand received criticism for using generated images to “promote…equity and inclusion” in their clothing advertisements. In response to the current backlash, Levi’s rebukes the “sustainability” of the technology without explicitly stating the aforementioned benefits.
Betrayed customers of the brand illuminate the damages to the community—ones Levi’s allegedly strives to represent. As artificial intelligence becomes further integrated into the marketing industry, jobs will be lost, disproportionately displacing minority groups from employment. The discussion surrounding the irony of the modeling controversy leaves consumers demanding Levi’s to put their money where their mouth is—literally—by hiring a diverse population of models on staff.
With the economy suffering under the current inflation, Levi’s, along with a myriad of other companies has participated in massive layoffs. In retrospect, the fashion brand remains steadfast in its message of promoting inclusivity of many body types despite its limited means. Nevertheless, the marketing industry and consumers are faced with a new question: is it fashionable to allow only certain real people to exist in the modeling industry? Only the future will reveal how far Levi’s “experiment” will continue and if other companies will follow suit.