Glif won't say where its 165 AI faces came from

The launch drew swift backlash from human models and their supporters, who asked why brands need synthetic faces when real people already do the work — and mocked Glif's description of its characters as 'real AI models.'

Critics also flagged the launch video's mostly white faces, and the questions Glif hasn't answered: where its characters come from, whether real people's likenesses were used, and what rights brands actually get.

The timing stings: a Reuters investigation found AI fashion imagery can cut production costs by 90% or more versus a traditional shoot, with agencies already reporting declining bookings.