Tyra Banks' ice cream brand used AI-generated models in promotional posts
Tyra Banks' ice cream brand SMiZE and DREAM removed promotional images containing AI-generated models from its Instagram account after the use of synthetic models drew criticism from labor advocates and the modeling industry.
What happened
Tyra Banks' SMiZE and DREAM ice cream brand removed at least four promotional images from its Instagram posts that featured AI-generated models.
The brand's representative stated that AI is "changing every industry" and defended the use of AI as a tool while emphasizing the brand's commitment to working with real models.
Reported impact
The Model Alliance, a nonprofit advocating for workers' rights in the fashion industry, noted that generative AI is used to "take advantage of existing power inequities and grey areas within the fashion industry, enabling fashion brands and others to more intensely exploit models' labour".
The organization stated that AI may be reinforcing and accelerating harmful beauty standards, particularly along gendered and racial lines, and heightens models' vulnerability to non-consensual uses of their images.
Index analysis
The incident reflects broader concerns about the use of generative AI in fashion and marketing to replace human models, particularly regarding labor exploitation and reinforcement of biased beauty standards.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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