Italian luxury fashion house Valentino is facing criticism after a “disturbing” advertisement created using artificial intelligence (AI) for one of its luxury handbags was posted online.
The brand announced a collaboration with digital artists to promote its new Devan handbag, which it dubbed a “digital creative project”.
But the AI-generated ad posted on Instagram faced intense criticism from fans, who called the visuals and use of AI “silly” and “sad.”
The BBC has contacted Valentino for comment.
The Instagram post promoting the handbag, which is labeled as having been created using AI, shows a “surreal” collage of models fused between the Valentino logo and its Devan bag.
At one point it shows what appear to be models emerging from an ornate gold version of the handbag. On the other hand, the brand’s logo turns into people’s arms, before they turn into a gathering whirlpool of bodies.
Of the hundreds of comments left on Valentino’s Instagram video on Monday, many criticized its use of AI as “cheap” and “lazy.”
“Disappointment from a couture fashion house,” one user wrote while reacting to the video on Instagram.
“Ad campaigns are an opportunity to put talented creators at the center. AI is the laziest in this regard.”
Others called on the company’s marketing department to “read the room”, compared the content to “AI slop” and accused the company of “anger-baiting”.
The fashion industry, like many other creative fields, has seized on generative AI tools that can create images and videos in seconds as a way to cut production and promotion costs.
It has also been cited as an opportunity to examine how new and emerging technology can enhance key processes such as design, manufacturing and shaping.
But doing so has also raised concerns that its adoption could displace human workers, or reduce the quality of fashion products.
Anne-Lise Prem, head of cultural insights and trends at creative digital agency Loop, said that although Valentino was showing the “right instincts” by being forward about the use of generic AI, the reaction to it showed “deep cultural tensions”.
“The main issue is not the technology – it’s the perception of what the technology replaces,” he told the BBC.
“When AI enters a brand’s visual identity, people worry that the brand is choosing efficiency over artistry.
“Even if the execution is creative, audiences often read it as cost-saving disguised as innovation.”
H&M’s use of AI to create “digital twins” of models for advertisements and social media posts drew criticism for its impact on human models, as well as the photographers and makeup artists who play key roles on shoots.
Meanwhile, an AI-generated Guess ad seen in Vogue earlier this year raised concerns about its impact on female beauty standards.
Ms Prem said that while there were clear benefits and “new creative possibilities” for brands using AI, “the risks are equally clear”.
“Without a strong emotional idea behind it, generic AI could make luxury feel less human at a time when people want human presence more than ever,” he said.
<a href