J.Crew’s AI-Generated Fashion Images Look a Lot Like Real Photos
The clothing brand J.Crew has been accused of AI-generating a series of pictures which, at first glance, look as if they were taken by an actual photographer.
The accusations came to light only after lifestyle website Blackbird Spyplane received a “well-placed” tip and took a forensic look at the photos, which turned up some “telltale glitches and weirdness.”
It relates to three Instagram posts made by J.Crew advertising a collaboration with Vans for a pair of sneakers — one of them even features a nostalgic photographer. The inconsistencies found include a “model” who looks different from one picture to the next, an ankle that appears to point backwards, and a strange-looking camera that doesn’t look real.
It was only thanks to the tip that the AI photos were noticed at all. A boat expert also took a look at the nautical-themed images and pointed out a number of problems with the boat’s anatomy. There are also various marks and artifacts that appear on some images but not others — such as a mark on one of the model’s tops that moves around.
J.Crew made a tacit admission that the photos are AI-generated by updating the captions to read: “Digital art by: @samfinn.studio.” The posts previously had no label to indicate that the pictures were anything but real.
Sam Finn, the person J.Crew tagged, is a self-described “AI Photographer” who uses Midjourney and Stable Diffusion to make AI images. Finn recently collaborated with Adobe Firefly for a film project. He “seamlessly merges the real with the artificial, challenging our perceptions of authenticity in virtual worlds,” according to his website.
The revelation that the brand used AI has caused an inevitable backlash on its Instagram page. “The insult to photographers by AI-generating images of a photographer. Priceless,” writes photographer Ryan Allan.
In a statement to The Cut, J.Crew says it is “always exploring new forms of creative expression, expanding how we work, and finding fresh, innovative ways to create content. This partnership with Sam Finn Studio is one of many examples of how we engage artists of all genres.”
It comes a little over a month after AI-generated models appeared in Vogue magazine thanks to an advert from fashion brand Guess. While H&M has begun rolling out what it calls “digital twins”, effectively AI-generated clones of models.
Image credits: J.Crew / @samfinn.studio
