Often overlooked is the impact AI is having on influencers. Through the power of Gen AI, brands are increasingly utilising AI influencers and ‘digital twins’ as alternatives to human models. These make-believe people cost businesses less time and money, whilst potentially having the same influence. In this guest article, Ben Woollams, CEO and founder of AI licensing firm TrueRights, explains how the tech is already changing influencer culture, and some of the challenges that may arise around intellectual property.
With artificial intelligence rapidly reshaping industries, the fashion industry is set to oversee a big turnover in AI content. What was once an experimental tool is quickly becoming a foundational element in how brands create, scale, and personalise content.
Yet, with innovation comes a need for thoughtful implementation. As AI likenesses of models and influencers become more common, fashion brands and talent alike must approach the technology with a focus on ethical licensing and a commitment to supporting the broader creative ecosystem.
Without these considerations, there risks public backlash, and a possible displacement of talent to fully automated AI solutions, if there can’t be a way of working together. But done the right way, with transparency and support, talent and brands can make the most of new tech and influencer marketing will change forever.
Owning Your Image
In recent months we’ve seen huge concerns around digital likeness being used for the wrong reasons without authorisation. For instance, Jamie Lee Curtis, recently called out Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on a fake ad that was using her likeness to promote a product without her permission.
It is becoming increasingly hard to discern what is a real campaign and what’s just fake news. And with a fragmented social landscape and AI image generation tools on the rise, talent can’t know where their likeness is showing up either.
All this is having an impact on consumer trust when it comes to talent fronted campaigns: how to know what is a real campaign and if AI was used by the brand, were the relevant permissions granted by the rights holder?
Most people, be they celebrities or not, want to own their digital presence but it’s far from common that we can all easily state our preferences for content being made with our IP.
The Perfect Testing Ground
The fashion industry is already renowned for its consumer-centric digital innovations, from styling recommendations, to virtual try-ons and customisation, being a hotbed for creative tech innovations.
Industry giants like H&M and Zalando are already planning to deploy AI tools to boost efficiency while navigating the ethical terrain with care. H&M, for instance, is exploring ownership models where individual talents retain control of their AI likenesses and can license them to other brands, a pioneering move in preserving creative agency.
A key consideration for brands is the quality of AI input data. To produce consistent and authentic digital likenesses, brands must ensure their training data captures the nuance of real individuals; this can only be done with proper licensed content to ensure both quality and legality.
As AI-generated personalities gain prominence, the traditional concept of intellectual property is evolving toward ‘personality rights’, underscoring the importance of securing consent and offering proper compensation.
But while the technical capacity of AI is impressive, consumer acceptance hinges on the rationale behind its use. AI campaigns that lack clear purpose or consumer benefit risk backlash.
Just look back at Coca-Cola’s AI Christmas campaign, which faced a lot of criticism for appearing gimmicky. Even though use of AI was disclosed throughout, there were questions around the creatives behind original campaigns.
AI can open doors to previously impossible collaborations, such as featuring deceased icons or merging distinct cultural influences. But for these to succeed, brands must clearly articulate their motivations and the value they deliver to consumers.
Empowering Talent With AI
From the talent perspective, initial reactions to AI often include fear of replacement. However, when influencers understand the new creative and commercial possibilities AI offers, the monetary opportunities for talent vastly increases.
We’re seeing more and more interest from talent to license their IP, and earn additional income streams from less effort. So long as we build robust infrastructure this process will become as easy as agreeing upon a set of assets with an advertiser and integrating this within the campaign through AI models.
Less time on photoshoots and studios, means more time curating content and other forms of activations. This means more brands will be able to tap into talent, with the right permissions, and produce content to appeal to their audiences.
Take Snickers’ campaign last year, using football coach José Mourinho to feature personalized AI messages, demonstrating how ethical use of AI can enhance both reach and resonance. This can be multiplied across a number of categories; with quality training data that is safe and legal for advertisers to tap into, the possibilities are endless.
AI will inevitably enable influencer content to move beyond the confines of social media and into realms like programmatic advertising. With proper licensing frameworks, talent can monetize their digital likenesses across diverse campaigns and make these more personal to the consumer, providing better ROI for advertisers.
The road to AI adoption isn’t without friction; there will be knock-on impacts on the sector with re-organisations, displacement and shifting of skills. With new efficiencies, brands should start to think about how they can support creatives in new ways whilst still making use of innovations.
Innovating with Integrity at its Core
As AI continues to embed itself within marketing, its ethical application will be crucial.
Brands must develop transparent strategies that prioritise licensing agreements, respect for creative contributors, and authentic storytelling.
For talent, AI offers a new frontier for expansion and influence, provided their rights and contributions are protected. The future of influencer marketing in fashion is not just about automation; it’s about innovation with integrity.
