Imagine being a creative in a time where AI can put you out of a job as a joke. I remember when AI first started gaining traction. We all said, “There are jobs only humans can do. AI will never handle those because it lacks the human touch.” But did we get complacent thinking that way?
I’m sure many teachers thought they were safe. After all, Pythagoras and Aristotle never ran out of students, they were the teachers, and they knew better. They probably assumed their jobs would last forever too. But that was obviously before ChatGPT, Gamma, and the rest showed up.
I bet even Eminem is feeling the heat now. God knows he’s good. But algorithms and code are catching up. While society has been stagnating, AI has been relentlessly refined.
At AfriHue, we don’t tell you how to think. But what we’ll do in the next few lines is offer you a glimpse into the uncharted territory this seemingly simple development might lead us into.
Vogue has just dropped a bombshell by featuring a Guess advert starring a flawless blonde model wearing a striped maxi dress and a floral playsuit from the brand’s summer collection. The catch? The model was AI-generated.
Valentina Gonzalez and Andreea Petrescu, co-founders of Seraphinne Vallora, the company behind the ad, told the BBC they were contacted via Instagram by Guess co-founder Paul Marciano, who asked them to create an AI model for the summer campaign.
Let’s talk about beauty standards.
We’re still struggling. Beauty standards keep shifting, but they remain painfully rigid. And who suffers the most? Women. The expectations are endless: talk softly, eat less, laugh in moderation, be thin, clear-skinned, flawless, always. The list is absurdly long.
Although we’re slowly outgrowing some of these expectations, when it comes to beauty, the standards haven’t really moved. Just look at Victoria’s Secret. The message is still clear. And now we’re being told that even those supermodels didn’t make the cut?
That’s terrifying.
These women already go to great lengths to maintain a specific figure and flawless skin. And now, they’re expected to compete with pixels and algorithms?
One possible reason for using AI: cost. Maybe real models are “too expensive.” But are we really supposed to believe that Vogue, the self-proclaimed Bible of fashion, couldn’t afford real women? Here’s the irony: AI isn’t cheap either. So, if money isn’t the issue, then what is?
Beyond the new standards of beauty, which are less about empowerment and more about repression and depression, there are deeper questions.
Let's talk about our current Laws.
Since the image is AI-generated, who owns it? The person who paid for it? If yes, does that mean anyone who creates an AI image that looks even remotely similar is infringing on property rights? Or does it mean that anyone who naturally resembles that image deserves compensation for its use?
This opens a Pandora’s box of legal and ethical questions. Intellectual property law wasn’t built for synthetic faces or AI-created identities.
Yet. Here. We. Are.
If there’s a silver lining in all of this, it’s that we’re being forced to confront reality: things need to change. Our understanding of certain professions must evolve to account for the use of AI or AI must be more tightly regulated to limit, or rather, guide the extent of its interference in our daily lives.
Should Vogue use AI-generated models? Does this decision of using AI have anything to do with Anna Wintour suddenly stepping down as Vogue’s editor-in-chief? Opinions are divided and the truth is likely layered
But one thing is clear: something has to either evolve or adjust.
So, what will it be?
Are we going to have to adjust AI to our needs,
or
Are we going to have to evolve to catch up with AI?
