However, companies like Lalaland.ai, co-founded by Michael Musandu after he was upset by the lack of apparel models like him, are finding demand for AI models. “One model does not represent everyone that is shopping and buying a product,” he stated. “As a person of color, I felt this painfully.”
Musandu claims his product supplements photo shoots, not replaces them. Shoppers might see nine to 12 models using several size filters instead of one, improving their buying experience and reducing product returns and fashion waste. Since Lalaland.ai employs humans to train its algorithms, Musandu claimed the technology creates jobs.
If brands “are serious about inclusion efforts, they will continue to hire these models of color,” he said. Black model Alexsandrah in London thinks her digital counterpart has helped her stand out in fashion. Alexsandrah has even portrayed Shudu, a Black computer-generated model created by Cameron Wilson, a former fashion photographer and CEO of The Diigitals, a U.K. digital modeling studio.
In 2017, white they/them pronoun-using Wilson invented Shudu, calling it “The World’s First Digital Supermodel.” However, some accused Wilson of cultural appropriation and digital Blackface.
Wilson learned from the experience and changed The Diigitals to ensure Shudu, who has worked with Louis Vuitton and BMW, gave women of color opportunities. Alexsandrah modeled as Shudu for Vogue Australia, and writer Ama Badu created Shudu's biography and voice for interviews.
Alexsandrah is “extremely proud” of her work with The Diigitals, which built her AI twin: “It’s something that even when we are no longer here, the future generations can look back at and say, ‘These are the pioneers.’” Yve Edmond, a New York City model who works with large shops to test garment fit before sale, sees AI in fashion modeling as more pernicious.
Edmond believes that modeling agencies and companies are exploiting models' images to train AI systems without their consent or remuneration. One customer asked to shoot Edmond squatting, walking, and waving her arms for “research” purposes. Edmond declined and felt swindled—her modeling agency informed her she was booked for a fitting, not an avatar.
“This is a complete violation,” she remarked. “I was really disappointed.” Without AI legislation, companies must use AI ethically and transparently. Ziff, the Model Alliance founder, calls the lack of legal rights for fashion workers “the Wild West
The Model Alliance supports legislation like New York's Fashion Workers Act, which would require management companies and brands to obtain models' clear written consent to create or use a model's digital replica, specify the amount and duration of compensation, and prohibit altering or manipulating models' digital replicas without consent.
Alexsandrah believes AI might enable more models of color like herself with ethical use and legal constraints. She tells her clients about her AI duplicate and directs inquiries to Wilson, “somebody that I know, love, trust and is my friend.” Wilson says they make Alexsandrah's AI pay equivalent to her in-person pay. Edmond, however, is a purist: “We live on this amazing Earth. Every tint, height, and size is represented. Why not locate and recompense that person?”
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