Corporations are using AI in many different ways — some to address our world's most pressing issues and others in controversial manners that promote waste and questionable ethics.
As the New York Post reported, the fast fashion brand Mango has begun using artificial intelligence models for its clothing ads. The company's recent campaign prioritized fast content creation and targeted teenagers.
Consumers criticized Mango for false advertising. They spoke out on social media about how the AI models don't give them an accurate idea of how the clothes will fit or look on their real bodies.
Others accused Mango of denying human fashion models jobs by replacing them with AI glam bots.
Mango's decision to replace models with AI-generated ones has been described as "unethical" and a violation of consumer protection laws, per the Post.
AI applications such as this one perpetuate fast-fashion culture, which is harmful to consumers, workers, and the environment.
Many fast-fashion brands prioritize fads over quality as well as quick production over worker safety. They also use cheap materials such as polyester, which degrade quickly and contribute to landfill pollution.
Though shopping at thrift stores can save money and reduce textile waste, fast fashion is even taking over those shelves while making quality garments harder to find.
Mango's use of AI is also problematic because of the massive amount of energy it requires. AI data centers also need excessive water to keep from overheating, driving up environmental footprints and draining our planet's non-renewable resources.
🗣️ What should the government do about the fast fashion industry?
🔘 Set strict regulations 🚫
🔘 Incentivize sustainable options 💰
🔘 Use both regulations and incentives 🏛️
🔘 Nothing 🙅
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Therefore, focusing AI efforts on meaningful, necessary, and positive applications that benefit our world and its inhabitants is crucial. Quick content for corporate profits doesn't make the cut.
Post readers weighed in on the debate about whether Mango's AI models are misleading or unethical.
"When you buy a pizza, you're not buying [its] aesthetics. There is an understanding and precedent that … they may not all look the same," one reader commented. "With makeup and clothes, you're buying an aesthetic. It's different."
Someone else wrote: "Everyone wanted AI, and now you have it. Now we will never know what is fake and isn't."
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