Gucci just proved why luxury brands shouldn’t use AI

What are the characteristics of a luxury brand? Exclusivity, traditional craftsmanship and a high price tag. But iconic fashion house Gucci may have just learned the hard way that advertising can undermine all of these qualities, especially when it’s made with artificial intelligence.

On February 23, Gucci began posting promotional photos for the upcoming Primavera Fashion Show in Milan, the first show under new creative director Demna. The first few photos were innocuous – Michelangelo’s David statue, a pair of leather loafers – but then things took a turn. The next four photos Gucci posted had a disclaimer in the captions: “Created with AI.”

The AI-generated ads include images of a woman in a fur coat in the middle of a restaurant, a pair of legs coming out of the backseat of a car, two models framed against the night sky, and a sports car. These were all images that could easily have been created using traditional methods with models and photography, leaving fashion fans online scratching their heads as to why Gucci would turn to AI.

AI-generated content often falls flat in advertising. Take Svedka Vodka now infamous Super Bowl adfeaturing a robot duo straight from the uncanny valley. Social media users labeled the ad as “nightmare fuel”, immediately self-proclaimed Svedka fan rationalizing that “no matter how cheap it is, they can’t afford a real budget for an ad.”

Of course, Gucci doesn’t have the same excuse. It is undoubtedly much cheaper to generate an image with AI than to hire an entire team and book a location for a photo shoot, but for a brand whose cheapest handbag retails for $850 (with the most expensive selling for $10,000), dissatisfied consumers make it clear that cutting back is not a good idea.

Fashion enthusiasts weren’t shy about criticizing Gucci’s move. “Luxury brands that use AI slop should not do so [considered] luxury more,” wrote an X user in a viral post.

“The fastest way for a luxury brand to lose its value,” said another.

Whether Gucci can gain any social ground with its actual products remains to be seen: the Primavera fashion show will stream live on X on Friday, February 27 at 8:00 am ET. But Gucci’s experiment with AI advertising suggests that as brands ask consumers to spare no expense on luxury products, they should also cut corners where it counts.

Gucci did not respond to Fast Company’s request for comment.

#Gucci #proved #luxury #brands #shouldnt