In this edition of the Glossy+ Research Briefing, we look into marketers’ most common uses of generative AI, according to Glossy’s State of AI report, and the rise of AI image generation by fashion brands like Hugo Boss.
Nearly half of marketers use AI for generating images
In 2023, chatbot technology was marketers’ most-used AI application. However, that all changed last year when copy generation overtook chatbots as marketers’ most common application of AI tech. In 2024, 65% of respondents to Glossy’s survey selected copy generation as the top NLP or AI technology their company uses, followed by chatbots at 55% of respondents.
Marketers’ use of image generation was also on the rise in 2024, up 26 percent points compared to 2023. That made it marketers’ third most common application of AI technology last year, with nearly half of survey respondents (45%) selecting image generation as the top NLP or AI technology their company uses.
Hugo Boss recently expanded on how the brand is using generative AI. Last week, Jan Philipp Wintjes, Hugo Boss’ evp of global omnichannel, shared the launch of the brand’s AI-generated content for e-commerce sites on his LinkedIn page, along with an AI-generated video of a model sporting a denim Hugo Boss set.
“This launch represents a future where technology seamlessly meets creativity and precision,” Wintjes wrote in the LinkedIn post. “This is AI in action, not as a concept, but as a catalyst for growth, efficiency and improved customer experiences.”
Hugo Boss’ use of generative AI to render realistic video content with a lifelike AI model who moves sets it apart from other fashion companies, according to a Sourcing Journal article. Thus far in AI’s development for image generation, garments have typically displayed better in still images.
Design studios have also been tapping into AI for image generation. Designers are using AI to optimize materials, color combinations, surplus stock and prototyping — leading to less waste. “We can now test ideas in real time without committing to costly samples,” said Mattia Giorgi, head of AI and innovation at Gruppo Teddy.
There is, however, industry skepticism about normalizing fashion brands’ use of AI-generated images. Job loss is a top concern for some. Although AI can help to speed up the production of fashion photos and videos, the photographers, models, creative directors and other professionals needed to create these images could become obsolete.
Another concern is stifling human creativity. Companies like Stitch Fix struggled with declining revenue after relying heavily on AI to provide personalized recommendations to shoppers rather than fostering new creative directions with stylists. Clothing brand Selkie faced criticism for using AI art in a Valentine’s Day clothing collection last year rather than commissioning real artists to produce the content. An AI-generated image had a glaring mistake, a dog with an unusual amount of toes — a mistake a human artist could’ve avoided.
A third concern is the loss of transparency about how a garment looks in-person. If a brand uses an AI-generated image to advertise a product on e-commerce sites, consumers are not able to see the garment in its true physical form, according to some industry critics. That includes viewing the quality of the garment’s material and understanding how the garment will fit. This can be a cause of concern for audiences who have long relied on detailed product images and videos to guide their shopping decisions.
Nonetheless, brands continue to experiment with AI-generated fashion content in the hopes of increasing workflow efficiencies.
