AI generated and retouched images may spearhead innovation, but are they distorting reality? Experts weigh in on whether these digital edits evolve the industry or erode our self-esteem, and if transparency is enough to bridge the gap
In today’s digital era, the pressure to live up to unrealistic beauty ideals has never been greater. With the rise of AI-driven retouching and digital avatars as models, the lines between reality and digital manipulation are becoming increasingly blurred, raising important questions about the ethical implications of these new marketing tools. As brands navigate this evolving landscape, the conversation around the impact of AI on body image, mental health, and societal beauty standards is more urgent than ever, sparking a debate over transparency, authenticity, and responsibility.
In 2004, only two per cent of women globally considered themselves beautiful. These alarming statistics prompted Dove to launch their Campaign for Real Beauty. To mark the 20th anniversary of this campaign and explore how women engage with AI-retouched images, Dove has conducted its most comprehensive global study yet. The study involved interviews with over 33,000 people across more than 20 countries, along with an eye-tracking experiment involving 40 participants. “One of the scariest insights that I had was that it was not the heavily retouched images that were a problem, it was the lightly retouched ones, because those are the ones that people had no idea they were changed," states eye tracking research director, Dan Sorvik. Moreover, even though the women in the study didn’t think they would be affected by the retouched images, they were every time;”
One of the individuals leading the study is Sami Dabbagh, general manager personal care and brand leader of Dove in the Nordics. He also raises concerns about the use of AI in advertisements, highlighting how key findings from the study showed negative effects on participants: “I think it’s very important to say that as a brand, we don’t believe that AI as a tool is bad, but I think what AI is producing is really perpetrating unrealistic beauty standards, which is why we updated our pledge to say that Dove will never use AI to retouch or edit any of the images used in our advertising, because we believe that is actually having a negative impact on society.”
Conversely, Mango has taken a different approach to AI in advertising, creating an entire campaign using AI for their youth line, Mango Teen, which launched in July this year. The brand described the campaign as pioneering and innovative, but many customers saw it differently. Mango received significant criticism on social media, with discussions focusing on the implications of showcasing unreal bodies in photos targeted at teenagers and the lack of labelling for AI-generated images on product pages on Mango’s website. Levi’s faced similar backlash after partnering with Lalaland.ai to create more body-inclusive avatars and models designed to increase diversity. Customers questioned why real humans weren’t hired as models and raised concerns about the fundamental purpose of product photos — to show how clothes fit on real bodies.