Levi's Is Experimenting With AI to Promote Diversity — Which Raises Some Serious Questions The denim brand claims the move will be more "sustainable" — but has yet to clarify how.
By Amanda Breen •
AI has entered the chat, and many companies are using it to solve their problems.
That includes American denim brand Levi Strauss & Co., which will start testing AI-generated clothing models later this year in partnership with digital fashion studio Lalaland.ai as it attempts to diversify its online shopping experience, The Verge reported.
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At the moment, most items available on the Levi's app or website can only be seen on a single clothing model. The goal of the AI clothing models is more body inclusivity, allowing customers to see the products on models with different body types, ages, sizes and skin tones.
"While AI will likely never fully replace human models for us, we are excited for the potential capabilities this may afford us for the consumer experience," Dr. Amy Gershkoff Bolles, global head of digital and emerging technology strategy at Levi Strauss & Co., said in a statement on the company's site.
Levi's called diversity, equity and inclusion a "top priority" for the company, noting that for the past year, it's made an effort to diversify its employees to reflect its broad consumer base.
But its AI-generated models raise important questions. It's unclear on which platforms the models will be available, if users will be able to customize them and how the move will impact real models, per The Verge.
The company also claims the AI models will be more "sustainable" but didn't respond to the outlet's request for clarification on that detail.
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But there's no doubt that Levi's will see labor savings with the AI project. The company has aimed to reduce operating costs amid the pandemic, cutting 700 employees in 2020.
