Gucci’s divisive AI ads aren’t budget ‘slop,’ they’re a play for cultural relevance

• Gucci's use of AI-generated images ahead of its Milan runway show has sparked debate.
• Social media users have called the images "tacky" and "cheap."
• Experts say this is a strategic move by Gucci to blend fashion, art, and technology.

Gucci's new AI-generated ads have hit a nerve online.

The renderings — including a glamorous woman in a fur coat striding through a restaurant, a pair of models some commentators likened to "Grand Theft Auto" characters, and sleek car scenes — were posted on Gucci's social media pages ahead of creative director Demna Gvasalia's first runway show at Milan Fashion Week on Friday.

The images quickly drew sharp criticism online, with some users calling them "cheap" and "slop"— a term used to describe AI-generated content perceived as low-quality or mass-produced.

"You did not need to use AI for this, so tacky," one Instagram user said. Another user wrote: "Craftsmanship reduced to marketing narrative." One user on X said AI makes the brand look cheaper than TJ Maxx.

Not all of the images for the "Primavera" campaign are AI-generated — it also includes a mix of other photography.

Gucci did not respond to a request for comment.

Branding experts say that while some consumers perceive the images as "cheap," Gucci's decision to use AI was likely driven by creative intent rather than cost-cutting.

It's about "positioning Gucci at the intersection of fashion, art and technology," Blanca Zugaza Escribano, a fashion and luxury strategy consultant at Metyis, told Business Insider.

The use of AI fits into Gucci's history of experimentation and boundary-pushing, she said.

"It signals creative futurism, reinforces the brand's relevance in a tech-driven world, and allows it to generate surreal, high-impact imagery that traditional production might not easily achieve," she added.

This isn't the first time the Italian luxury fashion house has dipped its toes into AI.

Earlier this month, Gucci partnered with Snapchat for an AI interactive lens — a feature that enables Snapchat users to become one of Gucci's "La Famiglia" figures. These were fictional digital characters created for one of its collection rollouts.

Armelle Poulou, CFO of Kering — Gucci's parent company — said in its fourth-quarter earnings call that the launch of the "La Famiglia" Collection, and its "surrounding activations," are putting "Gucci back at the center of the attention."

That push for visibility comes at a critical moment for the brand.

Gucci had the steepest revenue decline among Kering's portfolio, falling 22% on a reported basis and 19% on a comparable basis in its full-year 2025 earnings.

Matthew Drinkwater, the director of the Fashion Innovation Agency at the London College of Fashion, said luxury has traditionally been rooted in "craft, heritage and human storytelling."

"If AI is used in a way that feels like it replaces craft, it risks undermining the very thing that creates aspiration," he said.

This isn't the first time Gucci has been accused of diluting the brand image. While its push for maximalism and logos more than doubled its revenue between 2015 and 2022 —under creative director Alessandro Michele — when consumers turned to the "quiet luxury" trend, it was unable to keep up.

Alongside mass-market partnerships, the fashion house's customer base had also become younger and more aspirational, many of whom seem to have moved on.

The most honest focus group in fashion

Gucci isn't the only brand to face backlash for its use of AI in marketing. In December, fashion house Valentino raised eyebrows after launching an AI-generated campaign for its DeVain handbag.

"Ruining a fashion house legacy is tough work, but I see you guys have determination," one user on Instagram said of Valentino's campaign at the time.

For luxury brands, the challenge of delivering a positive tech experience is even greater, said Elaine Parr, a senior partner and consumer products and retail industries leader EMEA at IBM.

Not only is it a "tough market" for luxury right now as a pullback in spending from aspirational shoppers weighs on sales, but "you need to deliver on the Lux brand promise and be modern whilst retaining your heritage," Parr added.

The Instagram comments section of luxury brands has become "the most honest focus group in fashion," said Drinkwater, the director of the Fashion Innovation Agency at the London College of Fashion.

"Almost any use of AI in fashion still seems to trigger a level of outrage," he added.

Drinkwater said that while AI is more effective when it supports a creative vision rather than replaces it, negative campaign reactions "are good examples of how quickly the conversation can turn when people feel craft or human input is being displaced."