H&M’s decision to use digital clones of real models in ads and social media posts is creating waves in the fashion and comms industries.
The Swedish retail giant has highlighted its ethical safeguards, with models retaining rights over their digital replicas and being compensated similarly to current arrangements. But the move has drawn mixed reactions.
H&M chief creative officer Jörgen Andersson said: “We are curious to explore how to showcase our fashion in new creative ways—and embrace the benefits of new technology—while staying true to our commitment to personal style.
“This initiative is about exactly this: Exploring the benefits of what generative AI can bring to the creative process. We see this technology as something that will enhance our creative process and how we work with marketing but fundamentally not change our human-centric approach in any way. Ultimately, H&M’s purpose is to liberate fashion for the many and to celebrate self-expression in everything we do.”
Embracing AI
Lewis Davey, founder of AI influencer talent agency Pixel, labels the move “exciting”, but says comms around the announcement have been “poorly executed.”
“I would have advised them to announce the innovation in partnership with the real models they’d onboarded to be cloned,” Davey explains.
“I predict we’ll see a hybrid brand portfolio of ambassadors where AI influencers and real models work alongside each other and this is a far more positive message to demonstrate how AI will shape the future of fashion and other sectors.”
While H&M positions the move as a way to scale content creation ethically, concerns remain about the broader implications.
James Gordon-MacIntosh, co-founder of Hope&Glory, warns of potential misuse: “Big brands using AI likenesses of real people legitimises the practice and, while in this case the likenesses may be sanctioned and approved, a brand like H&M using digital facsimiles runs the risk of making it feel to anyone that it’s an okay thing to do.
“Let’s be honest, not everyone will seek permission or necessarily create content with the consent of those they are portraying,” he adds. “This takes touching-up and Photoshopping of images to a whole new level that we should all have concerns about.”
New possibilities
Despite the criticisms, AI modelling offers immense potential for campaign innovation. Rob Stone, head of innovation and digital at Citypress, emphasises the efficiency gains that digital twins could bring. “Digital twins are not the enemy. When used ethically, as H&M has shown, they can scale creativity, not replace it,” he says.
“Brands need to find ways to scale up and deliver high-quality content across an ever-increasing variety of platforms and formats. In this case, H&M has still used human models and has given them rights over their digital replicas, which sets a positive precedent.”
As brands like H&M experiment with AI, the role of PR will be more critical than ever in ensuring the technology is implemented responsibly. “Much of the outrage is focused on the threat to stylists, makeup artists and photographers, but the reality is they have all been used in the creation of these assets for H&M,” Stone explains.
“As long as models and other staff are compensated fairly and retain the rights around the usage of any creations, this is a great way for brands like H&M to explore the possibilities of new tech, increase the value of any content they create and be more creative in the ways in which they market products,” he adds.
Interestingly, several experts predict that AI could increase, rather than diminish, the value of human talent.
Richard Thiardt, director at Stir, notes that this evolution could make authenticity more desirable. “Twenty years ago, we called out Photoshop in campaigns. Now we assume everything is Photoshopped. That same shift is happening again. And ironically, it might just make ‘real’ talent more valuable than ever.”
Thiardt believes “on the surface, this could improve inclusivity, enabling brands to quickly showcase models of different backgrounds, sizes and ages”.
“But representation still starts with a real person,” he says. “And while top-tier talent may enjoy being in 10 places at once, this tech feels ripe for exploitation—especially for emerging models navigating the murky waters of image rights and digital ownership.
“For PR, the implications are huge… deepfakes, copyright battles, and authenticity debates will follow,” he notes.
Similarly, Chris Maho, senior account executive at The Romans, states: “The best campaigns are based on human insights and lived experiences, and now, more than ever, we need to ensure that this human-centric approach is present across all the work that we produce as an industry. If we use it responsibly, AI can hopefully help us to do this.”
Maho concludes: “While there is some fear around what it means for the future of our sector (and many others), there is certainly no escaping it, so if we want to ensure comms is at the cutting edge of these developments we must embrace it!”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
