👟 J.Crew & Vans AI Ads Spark Internet Backlash
American clothing brand J.Crew faced a scandal after launching a joint Instagram campaign with Vans. The photos were styled to resemble J.Crew's vintage '90s catalogs—but sharp-eyed users spotted clear signs of AI-generated content.
Some were outraged by the idea of replacing real models with AI, while others called the campaign sloppy—they could simply fix the glitches with Photoshop.
Moreover, J.Crew didn't mark the post as "AI-generated." Later, the brand quietly added credit to "AI photographer" Sam Finn. By then, backlash was already rolling in: from complaints about replacing real models to accusations of lazy execution.
Even transparency doesn't shield brands. On September 15, Valentino launched its own Vans project, openly labeling it AI art. Still, some people called AI-generated photos "embarrassing."
🤔 Can you spot the AI glitches in J.Crew's campaign? ⤴️
