Gucci has faced criticism after using AI-generated images to promote its Milan Fashion Week show, the BBC reports.
The images have been shared on social media, prompting users to question how using AI in place of real models and photographers fits with the fashion house’s stance that it supports creativity and Italian craftsmanship. One user, commenting on a picture of a gorgeous older woman in a classic Gucci outfit, said that Gucci’s failure to find a real Milanese grandmother to wear the 1976 outfit was a shame.
So disappointing to see @GUCCI resorting to “AI slop”. Why are there so many forces at work, trying to make human beings irrelevant? https://t.co/YztJq12LBi pic.twitter.com/Gxs7DHb9Pg
— Jai’me Jan (@jaimelondonboy) February 25, 2026
The images released by the fashion house are clearly marked as artificial intelligence-generated, but critics have called them an example of “AI slop” – a term used to describe the large-scale, low-quality AI-generated content that floods social media.
Others have questioned why a high-fashion company would use cost-cutting technology in its marketing. This is not the first time the Italian fashion giant has used technology to create promotional materials.
Gucci has previously hired digital artists to create visuals, including images created by artificial intelligence.
In December, the fashion house released a video of a model walking on the runway while photographers trying to take her picture fell over each other.
Other designers and high-profile brands, including Valentino and H&M, have also used AI tools to create content for social media and advertising, often calling it creative experimentation.
Priscilla Chan, senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Fashion Institute, said that fashion companies’ turn to technology for marketing comes with some risks. While some innovations have generated a lot of free positive publicity in the past, the use of AI can also create negative publicity. The expert stressed that luxury brands in particular need to be mindful of how the latest technology affects them.
Not everyone was critical of Gucci’s approach. Some users said the fashion house managed to capture the “glamour of Milan” without losing its essence.
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