AI instead of models: Otto saves on product photography
With its own AI tool, Otto wants to bring new collections to market faster and more cheaply. Otto is following a general trend in the industry.
The mail order company Otto uses its own AI tool to produce model photos entirely on the computer.
(Image: Otto)
Artificial intelligence replaces model photography at Otto. The headline of the press release leaves little doubt about the determination of the Hamburg-based mail order company. In just a few minutes, the store can use generative AI and a proprietary tool called Movex Virtual Content Creator to create new images that meet the company's sales requirements. Otto is hoping for benefits in the area of e-commerce in particular. The store now wants to consistently use AI images in its range.
(Image:Â Otto)
In the past, the elusive dream of modeling was known to be the basis for entire television shows. Future generations of up-and-coming models will probably have to overcome wholly different hurdles. For them, the big challenge will be less the competition for a job than the fact that there are jobs available at all. In addition to Otto, companies such as Zalando and H&M are also looking to use AI in model photography, reports Handelsblatt.
New collections online faster
The advantages for the companies: Speed and lower costs. Otto CEO Marc Opelt enthuses that products could be in the store faster. We are talking about just a few hours for new collections. This could reduce production costs by up to 60 percent. The model images would be available in high-resolution and photorealistic quality within minutes. The AI models could depict different genders, ethnicities, age groups and body shapes. All that is needed is a single photo of the original product.
But do the images created in this way even allow realistic conclusions to be drawn about the real product? Supporters online argue that fashion photos have long been massively altered by image editing. There can be no question of authenticity. AI models were already seen to be on the rise in fashion photography in the summer of 2024. According to a survey, 72 percent of respondents found AI representations to be realistic.
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Many unanswered questions
Questions remain about the labeling of AI-generated photos. Unrealistic depictions could also be problematic under competition law. And the extent to which AI models trained for certain beauty ideals could have a negative impact on people's self-perception is also a question that is likely to arise with the increasing spread of AI fashion photos.
(mki)
