Menswear brand accused of using AI to 'whitewash' model's image - Australian Broadcasting…

Nigerian-Australian model Elii Emeghebo is pursuing a racial discrimination complaint against menswear brand Peter Jackson Australia after discovering his likeness had been digitally altered. Emeghebo alleges the company used AI to modify his features to appear more Eurocentric, effectively erasing his identity in images displayed on storefronts and social media.

What happened

The incident began when Emeghebo encountered an image in a Peter Jackson shopfront that he described as his white twin. He noted that the AI-altered version of his original photoshoot images featured a reshaped nose, lightened skin tone, altered eye color, and changed facial structure. While Peter Jackson Australia admits to using AI-assisted tools to produce a substantially transformed image from the original campaign, the brand categorically denies any claims of racial discrimination. A company representative stated that Emeghebo was paid in full for the original shoot and that the altered images were not motivated by race, color, or ethnic origin.

Beyond the allegations of racial discrimination, Emeghebo and his legal representatives from the Young Workers Centre argue that the brand exceeded the scope of their original contract. Emeghebo was reportedly only contracted for images on digital channels, leading to claims that the company failed to compensate him for the use of the AI-generated imagery in physical shopfronts. Legal experts suggest that because Australia lacks a specific statutory image right, models are currently forced to rely on existing legal frameworks—such as contract law or claims of misleading and deceptive conduct—to protect their likenesses from unauthorized AI manipulation. Emeghebo is now seeking broader industry changes to prevent similar issues from affecting other models, particularly people of color, as the use of AI in fashion continues to expand.