Actions and reactions to the AI models or H&M's ‘digital twins’

Last week, we talked about the “digital twins”, models created through artificial intelligence used in H&M’s latest campaign. The brand plans to create thirty of these women in 2025 based on real models who will have all image rights over their digitalized likeness and will be able to resell it as they please – even to companies that are direct competitors of H&M. While the initiative may seem like a promising innovation, allowing models to work more without any actual effort while cutting costs, time, and environmental waste, conversations with casting directors, managers, and real models revealed that industry professionals still have mixed opinions about the “digital twins.” Moreover, H&M has admitted that it does not yet know how these robo-relatives will work exactly, starting with how the involved models will be compensated. Now, just as in 2023 when Hollywood went on strike against AI, organizations and companies in the fashion industry are questioning the ethics of this new tool. Meanwhile, Covision Media, the startup that created the “digital twins,” has just raised 5 million euros in funding. 

Among the organizations and individuals criticizing AI models are Bectu, a UK union representing the country’s creative community, and Sara Ziff, founder of the Model Alliance. According to a survey conducted by Bectu, 54% of creative industry workers in the UK believe that AI will have a negative impact on fashion. «There are a lot of open questions, and one of them is about compensation. What does fair compensation for a digital twin look like?», Ziff commented, as reported by BoF. Currently, both Europe and the United States are preparing to implement legislation to protect models. In New York, starting this summer, brands will have to comply with the Fashion Workers Act, which aims to protect models from workplace abuse as well as the use of artificial intelligence on their image. In the European Union, meanwhile, the AI Act will come into effect in 2026, requiring any company using AI-generated content to disclose it clearly and visibly. In response to the criticism surrounding the “digital twins” campaign, H&M acknowledged its responsibility but emphasized that it «does not yet have all the answers».

The startup behind some of the most significant AI initiatives in fashion campaigns is Covision Media. Founded in Italy, it recently opened a studio in Paris in collaboration with CLX Europe to work with brands in the city on campaigns, e-commerce photography, and social media content created entirely with artificial intelligence and 3D scanning. The startup has just raised 5 million euros, funded by the co-founder of Covision Media as well as representatives from Fossil Group, Ferragamo, and Andreessen Horowitz. Artificial Intelligence Fund director Vincenzo Di Nicola stated that the investment is «the largest Italian AI fund […] Covision Media represents an excellent example of a thriving Italian deep-tech company that harnesses the power of AI to develop and deliver exceptional products, bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds». Some of the biggest brands the startup has collaborated with include giants like adidas, Gucci, Salomon, and Inditex brands Zara and Massimo Dutti, which have used Covision’s 3D scanning technique to digitize their products for their e-commerce sites, eliminating the need for large-scale productions.