Nick Knight, esteemed image-maker and Director of SHOWstudio, and his long-time collaborator and creative technologist Tom Wandrag discussed  ways to harness the benefits of AI. Tom and Nick shared the thoughtful ways in which they are experimenting with this tech, the ethical guardrails they’ve established for themselves, and their interest in AI’s ability to enhance human creativity in fashion while protecting models’ rights.

The Model Alliance has been collaborating with Data & Society and the Worker Institute at Cornell University to better understand the impact of AI on fashion workers, particularly workers of color. We were excited to host researchers Sanjay Pinto, Zoë West and Alexandra Mateescu yesterday to share the key findings of their research – including how AI is being used to exploit models’ labor by taking advantage of existing power inequities and gray areas within the fashion industry. 

Models Nassia Matsa, Casey McSherry, and Shereen Wu, and makeup artist Mary Irwin, shared their stories on the ways AI is disproportionately impacting young and unrepresented talent, the potential for AI job displacement, and the lasting impact of AI image abuse. Their bravery, vulnerability, and optimism were inspiring and we appreciated their creative ideas for protecting workers amidst growing AI adoption.

State Senator Brad Holyman-Sigal, SAG-AFTRA’s Rebecca Damon, and the Freelancers Union’s Rafael Espinal shared their perspectives from the front lines of crafting policy to protect workers’ rights. Sen. Holyman-Sigal outlined the key AI provisions of the Fashion Workers Act, while Rebecca and Rafael talked about their key legislative priorities in Albany and their progress in building collective power among AI-impacted workers.