The rise of AI in fashion: How photography roles and virtual stylists are disappearing faster than expected

The Rapid Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Fashion: What You Need to Know

The transformation of the fashion industry by artificial intelligence is no longer a future possibility—it’s already happening. Traditional roles such as fashion photographers, stylists, and creative directors are facing significant disruption as AI technologies rapidly advance. The timeline below illustrates just how quickly these changes are unfolding, especially over the past few weeks.

A Closer Look at Recent Developments

• January 2025: A startup named Botika secures $8 million in funding, enabling AI-generated fashion models to replace human photographers for smaller brands almost instantaneously. This development is reshaping how fashion visuals are produced. Learn more

• May 2025: Doji raises $14 million to develop AI-powered avatars that facilitate virtual try-ons, allowing consumers to share their experiences socially—akin to TikTok-style engagement. Simultaneously, Google introduces “AI Mode,” expanding virtual try-on capabilities to billions of products online. Details here, Google’s announcement.

• Two Weeks Prior: Alta raises $11 million to launch a comprehensive AI stylist platform designed to fully replace traditional styling roles in fashion retail. Such technological shifts threaten to eliminate the need for human stylists in many cases. Read more.

• Just Two Days Ago: FASHN AI releases a hyper-realistic virtual try-on model at 1 megapixel resolution, capable of generating commercial styling images without human input. This marks a significant step toward automating fashion marketing content. See the model.

• Today: Google introduces Doppl, an innovative AI system capable of generating animated videos of virtual avatars showcasing outfits dynamically—completely automated. This leap toward fully virtual,