Artificial Intelligence in the Creative Process: Tool, or Co-Author?

Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly embedded in the fashion industry — from generating sketches to forecasting trends. But generative AI is no longer just a tool; it is beginning to take on the role of a co-creator. This raises the key question: where is the line between supporting creativity and replacing it? On the one hand, AI lowers the barrier to entry and speeds up creative processes; on the other, it can blur authorship and originality. How do we preserve the human element in the age of algorithms?

• Where is the line between using AI as a tool to optimize the creative process and delegating creative decisions to it?
• How will the role of the designer in the fashion industry change with the widespread adoption of generative AI: will it enhance creativity or devalue it?
• Who owns the copyright to a design created with the help of AI: the brand, the designer, the algorithm developer, or the AI system itself?
• Can AI generate culturally significant and emotionally resonant products, or does this remain the domain of human creativity?
• How does AI contribute to the democratization of the industry and the emergence of new players in the fashion market?
• What ethical risks does the use of AI in the creative process pose, from plagiarism and the homogenization of aesthetics to the displacement of creative professionals?