UK Fashion Industry Fights AI to Protect Models

Fashion Industry's Stand Against AI

The fashion industry is drawing a line in the sand against the unregulated rise of Artificial Intelligence. The British Fashion Modeling Agents Association (Bfma), in collaboration with the London-based modeling agency The Milk Collective, has taken a definitive step by launching a petition that has already gathered more than 2,000 signatures. Their unified message is a direct appeal to the UK Government to implement protective measures for models whose images are increasingly at risk of being used by AI without their consent.

Protecting Image Rights and Livelihoods

The petition, which represents a collective of over 5,000 models, lays out clear demands. It calls for the immediate legal recognition of individual image rights and the establishment of firm limits on how AI can be used in the industry. The core concern is that models are facing the unauthorized use of their likeness without any consent or compensation, a practice that could trigger drastic job losses and devalue their profession.

The Ripple Effect on Creative Jobs

The potential damage extends far beyond the models themselves. As Bfma president John Horner explained, the entire creative ecosystem is at stake. “The model is the epicenter of the industry, if you remove her, everything else is neglected: you lose photographers, stylists, hairdressers and makeup artists,” Horner stated. “Everyone who supports a photo shoot is no longer needed, that’s a risk.”

An Industry United for Change

Launched during the high-profile London Fashion Week, the petition carries the weight of the industry's most influential bodies. It has received formal support from the British Fashion Council, Bectu, Creative UK, The Association of Photographers, Creators’ Rights Alliance, and Fashion Roundtable. While the appeal is directed at the government, Horner emphasized that brands also have a crucial role to play. “We want brands to understand that this is not an uncontrolled situation, we are an endangered species, if they take away the model, there will be no industry left,” he added.

Brands Are Already Using AI Models

These concerns are not just theoretical. Anxiety among models has grown as major brands have already begun experimenting with AI-generated imagery. This trend was highlighted when H&M debuted its first AI-enabled digital twins created in partnership with models last July, showcasing the technology's rapid advancement and its potential to disrupt the industry.