Perfectly Unreal? Vogue Faces Backlash Over AI Model in Guess Ad

When Vogue featured a Guess advert in its August print issue, they probably didn’t expect the cover girl to cause a digital meltdown. But that’s exactly what happened – and here’s why: the model in the ad wasn’t real. She was AI-generated, made by tech company Seraphinne Vallora. And yes, her skin was flawless, her proportions eerily symmetrical, and her presence completely artificial.

In small, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it print, the ad read “Produced by Seraphinne Vallora on AI”. But the internet caught on fast. The backlash was immediate and fierce. “Boycott Vogue NOW!” one user fumed on X. Another cancelled their long-time subscription, saying, “AI models in Vogue?”

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Image @seraphinnevallora via IG

The outrage wasn’t just aesthetic. Critics slammed the use of AI for promoting unrealistic beauty ideals and undermining real-life diversity efforts. Plus-size model Felicity Hayward told Yasmin Rufo from The BBC, “It feels lazy and cheap,” adding, “AI models… will disproportionately affect plus-size models.”

It wasn’t just the modelling community that felt blindsided. Mental health advocates also raised red flags. Vanessa Longley, CEO of Beat, warned, “If people are exposed to images of unrealistic bodies, it can affect their thoughts about their own body.” Sinead Bovell, a former model turned tech entrepreneur, called the lack of clear labelling “exceptionally problematic.”

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Image @seraphinnevallora via IG

Seraphinne Vallora, the agency behind the AI model, was quick to defend its tech. “Why can’t engineers, graphic designers, 3D artists, coders, architects – any kind of creative – build beauty too?” the company said in an Instagram post. Co-founders Valentina Gonzalez and Andreea Petrescu insist their work isn’t replacing humans but offering brands another tool. “We’re offering companies another choice in how they market a product,” Petrescu said.

But others aren’t buying it. Their website promotes cost-saving as a key benefit, stating that using AI “eliminates the need for expensive set-ups, MUA artists, venue rentals, stage setting, photographers, travel expenses, hiring models.” In other words, a lot of creative jobs get cut.

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Image @seraphinnevallora via IG

And the diversity issue? Seraphinne admits their Instagram doesn’t feature many AI models of colour or different body types – because “people do not respond to them.” Translation: they post what gets likes.

This isn’t just a one-off fashion controversy. It’s part of a wider global debate. From Biden’s AI regulations to the EU’s AI Act to cyber-attacks involving cloned voices, people are beginning to feel the real-world impact of artificial intelligence.

A previous example of their work. Image @seraphinnevallora via IG

As for fashion, Sara Ziff of Model Alliance says AI isn’t inherently bad – but protections need to be in place. “AI can positively impact the industry, but there need to be meaningful protections for workers.”

Whether the future of modelling includes AI or not, one thing is clear: consumers are no longer just flipping pages. They’re asking questions – and demanding real answers.