As synthetic media and generative AI sweep the fashion sector, the British Fashion Model Agents Association (BFMA) is leading the charge to secure new protections for models in the UK. The association’s “My Face Is My Own” petition, already endorsed by over 2,300 models, demands urgent government action to shield model likenesses from unauthorized AI use—an issue now touching every corner of the creative industries and threatening jobs, privacy, and dignity for a £150 million-per-year sector.
Why the Petition? The AI and Fashion Crisis
The concern: AI tools can now replicate, manipulate, and monetize a model’s face and body with no compensation, consent, or even acknowledgment in most cases. With AI-generated avatars and deepfakes accelerating, agencies warn that real model demand could collapse as brands and advertisers opt for “made-to-order” synthetic creators, undermining the entire modeling pipeline.
According to the BFMAA, without appropriate safeguards in place, unrestrained use of AI technologies may significantly damage the careers of many in the industry, and swift action must be taken. The petition emphasizes that nearly all signatories do not (and have not) granted any permission for their likeness, image, and/or characteristics to be used for any artificial intelligence purposes.
The Gap in UK Law: Fragmented Protections and Unequal Power
Despite the importance of image in fashion, the UK still lacks clear, unified legal protection against AI-enabled likeness scraping or digital replication. Current remedies are piecemeal: data protection law, advertising codes, criminal law, and performer rights—none providing a stand-alone shield for individual faces or bodies.
The government recently proposed making individuals’ intellectual property and likeness rights “available by default” to AI platforms—unless models and creators proactively opt out. As the petition notes, this uneven framework leaves individuals with ‘unequal bargaining power’ against commercial stakeholders, creating opportunities for abuse and a race to the bottom for wages, control, and reputation.
What the Petition Demands
The 2025 petition lays out three core asks:
- Express Written Consent must be mandatory for any AI use of a model’s likeness—voluntary, clearly defined, and subject to agreed licensing terms.
- Legislative Reform: The UK should urgently draft robust protections to close gaps exploited by AI, leveraging lessons from ongoing copyright and performer rights debates.
- Wider Creative Coverage: Image rights protections should extend not only to models, but also to photographers, stylists, hair/makeup artists, and other creative professionals at risk from synthetic media tools.
The BFMAA is collaborating with musicians, photographers, and actors, seeking unified national and industry standards as AI continues to disrupt traditional creative labor markets.
Real World Risks: Unemployment and Exploitation
Modeling, a profession worth over £150 million in annual UK economic impact, now faces a future where deepfake avatars can be anonymously generated or licensed for a fraction of standard day rates, without recourse for real-world models who lose bookings. Cases have already surfaced of top models’ faces and bodies re-created for unauthorized global campaigns, potentially damaging reputation, brand exclusivity, and income security.
The Path Forward: Ethics, Industry, and Government Response
The UK petition is one in a wave of legal and creative activism sweeping Europe and North America. Policymakers are set to debate these issues in Parliament, while organizations like the International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) develop technical standards—such as new image metadata tags—to allow creators to tag images as “AI-excluded,” though these are not legally binding.
While the copyright landscape continues to evolve, fashion and creative labor leaders agree that contractual and statutory solutions are urgently needed to ensure compensation, consent, and agency for all who depend on their image to earn a living.
