Al's Diversity DILEMMA

Diversity, equity and inclusion is moving into the Al fashion model space.But what kind of real change will it create?

-  GEZZY SINQOBILE SIBISI

In recent years, the fashion industry has drawn on many tech tools for inspiration and forecasting. It was inevitable that at some point we'd be introduced to AI (artificial intelligence) fashion models. In April this year, we witnessed the first-ever AI Fashion Week show in New York (see page 63). And the March issue of Singapore Vogue featured three female Al models on its cover. Is this the future of fashion? 

MAKING STRIDES

Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, there's been a great digital migration, including a significant interest in AI technology. It was during South Africa's lockdown in March 2020, when 'real life' ground to a halt, that virtual model and African fashion influencer Kim Zulu made her social media debut.

For creator and manager Lebo Kambule, it was a dream come true. "This further reinforces the incredible potential and value of AI as a tool. I've personally used ChatGPT and other tools to build out stories and concepts. As for [human] models, this can allow them to take ordinary images of themselves, run them through tools like Midjourney and get a completely different perspective of the same image."