En 30 segundos
On CNN, The AI Download host Shira Lazar responds to backlash over a Guess advertisement in Vogue featuring an AI-generated model. She argues that the image reinforces narrow beauty standards and contrasts it with digital twins based on real, compensated models.
- 1A symbolic debutLazar says the use of an AI model in Vogue drew attention because of the magazine's stature and a recent leadership transition.
- 2A narrow standard of beautyShe criticizes the image as bland and insufficiently diverse, arguing that fashion should show more variety and soul.
- 3Human-led claimsLazar questions whether invoking human creative direction resolves concerns about the result.
- 4Digital twins as an alternativeShe considers an AI twin of a real, compensated model potentially more ethical than a wholly fictional model.
Conclusiones
- Lazar was not surprised that an AI-generated model in a Vogue advertisement prompted backlash.
- She argues that the image reflects a narrow, homogenized standard of beauty.
- A digital twin of a real model may be more ethical, she says, if the model can earn money from its use.
Lee el texto editado por capítulos
Why the Vogue ad drew backlash
A CNN interviewer introduces the Guess advertisement and asks about the response. Lazar says the magazine's status makes the choice significant.
A CNN interviewer asks Shira Lazar, host of The AI Download and founder of What's Trending, about the backlash to a Guess advertisement in Vogue featuring an entirely AI-generated model. Lazar says the reaction does not surprise her: Vogue's place at the pinnacle of fashion, and the timing after Anna Wintour stepped down, made some readers wonder what the magazine's future would look like.
Lazar recalls Guess's earlier campaigns and their striking images. By contrast, she describes the images shown in the segment as bland and typical. She argues that fashion should represent diversity and have soul, rather than return to a narrow ideal of beauty.
Beauty standards and model compensation
Lazar questions the defense that humans directed the AI-assisted work. She contrasts fictional models with digital twins of real models who could be paid.
The interviewer notes the company's response: the production involved complex workflows and AI, but its vision and work were human. Lazar says AI companies often present a human-first process as more ethical, even when AI scales the output. In this case, she argues, that claim does not address the image's result: a thin, white, blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman. She worries that such imagery reverses progress against toxic beauty standards.
Lazar points to another proposed approach: H&M's use of AI twins based on real models. She considers this potentially more ethical if a model can earn money from a digital twin without having to work each time. Her objection is to inventing fake people and presenting a homogenized view of beauty, which she does not think the public wants.
Más de este canal
0:45EN
Shira Lazar· 21 oct 2026PódcastA Visit to Paris Hilton’s Private SpaA visitor describes a pink spa, sensory treatments and a chilly cryotherapy session.
0:55ENShira Lazar· 19 oct 2026PódcastTyler Denk on Building a Creator Business Across FormatsInvitado: Tyler DenkThe Beehiiv founder describes creators combining channels, revenue models, and in-person events.
0:48ENShira Lazar· 12 oct 2026PódcastA Second Map of the Creator EconomyPresenta: Shira LazarShira Lazar introduces an updated ecosystem map with a section for independent creators.
0:54ENShira Lazar· 3 oct 2026Pódcast · 2 vocesChelsea Clinton on AI Anxiety, Health and GovernanceInvitado: Chelsea Clinton · Presenta: Shira LazarClinton discusses examples that give her hope and argues for treating AI as a collection of different technologies.
0:38ENShira Lazar· 21 sept 2026PódcastA Creator’s Visit to an LTK Event in DallasA short event recap highlights programming, brand displays, and conversations with women building creator businesses.
1:01ENShira Lazar· 19 sept 2026PódcastAffinity 100: A Creator Ranking Focused on Audience ConnectionA co-creator explains why the list emphasizes fandom, trust, and engagement instead of follower counts alone.