H&M is working with models and their agencies to create digital replicas of 30 models, which the company will use in AI-generated images, such as for social media posts and marketing campaigns.
H&M believes these digital versions of real models could help address one of the most complex challenges facing the fashion industry in the era of artificial intelligence: how to harness the capabilities of generative AI — which can produce realistic imagery — while protecting the jobs and rights of the human models the industry has long relied on.
H&M’s solution: involve the models by creating their digital twins, which they themselves will own and control. The models will decide whether to allow H&M to use their digital counterparts in AI-generated marketing. And H&M won’t be the only company able to use them — since the models own their digital twins, they’ll be able to license them out to other brands, including H&M’s competitors.
The company plans to create digital clones of 30 models this year. These avatars will likely debut on social media, and AI-generated images will be marked with watermarks so viewers know they were created with AI. This is done both for transparency and to test audience reaction.
Since genAI entered the fashion world, brands using the technology to save time and money — or simply to experiment — have faced backlash. Critics cite unauthorized use of copyrighted content to train AI models, environmental concerns, and most importantly, the threat to creative professions already in a vulnerable state. For instance, Levi’s announced plans to use AI models two years ago but scrapped the idea after intense criticism.
However, fashion and beauty brands still believe that, if handled correctly, AI can be used without sparking outrage. Estée Lauder recently told Business of Fashion that it uses AI to edit images and create visuals of rare ingredients — but not to generate human models.
H&M argues that transparency and stakeholder involvement are the keys to avoiding negative consequences. But how the use of digital twins will affect models and other industry professionals — photographers, stylists, makeup artists, and hairstylists — remains unclear.
How Do You Pay a Digital Twin?
Brands have previously worked with virtual influencers and models, but these were independent digital characters — not replicas of real people. And they still looked obviously artificial. Breakthroughs in AI have allowed companies like Botika and Lalaland to create AI models that are nearly indistinguishable from real ones.
To create a digital twin, H&M captures a model in motion from various angles and lighting conditions to replicate everything from birthmarks to their signature movements. The project’s tech partner is a company called Uncut.
H&M doesn’t see digital twins as a replacement for real models, but as a complement. The fashion industry demands a vast amount of imagery for marketing, e-commerce, and social media. A digital twin allows a model to be on the runway in New York and in a catalog shoot in Stockholm — simultaneously.
H&M is still developing a compensation model but says it will be similar to existing contracts: the model is paid for the right to use their image based on the brand, market, campaign duration, and other factors. However, in practice, companies often take any opportunity to cut costs.
There is also a legal grey area: who actually owns the digital twin — the model or the agency representing them in negotiations? In New York, the Fashion Workers Act, going into effect on June 19, will require agencies and clients to obtain written consent from models before creating a digital twin, with clear terms on how it will be used and how the model will be compensated.
Based on the article: “H&M Knows Its AI Models Will Be Controversial”