Less than three months ago, industry experts told 9news.com.au the use of generative AI in advertising will be much more common in the future.
Jeanswest has proven them right far sooner than expected.
The fashion retailer, which has gone into administration twice in the last six years, has been called out by consumers for using generative AI extensively in advertising online.
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Instagram videos show AI models posing in digital versions of Jeanswest styles, and the brand's website is stacked with AI-generated photos and videos.
9news.com.au has contacted Jeanswest for comment.
A Jeanswest customer support representative confirmed the content was AI-generated in a statement to the Sydney Morning Herald.
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The representative told the SMH that AI is one of many tools in the brand's creative workflow and said it is dedicated to maintaining authenticity and relatability.
Product photos on the Jeanswest website do not appear to be AI-generated or altered.
Consumers have voiced frustration and disappointment with the brand's heavy use of generative AI on social media, calling it "garbage".
One comment on an AI video on the Jeanswest Instagram page called for the people responsible for approving the clip to be fired.
On TikTok, an Australian user called content on the brand's website "AI slop".
"At the moment, there are a lot of brands trying to use AI and using it in a really clumsy way that's getting a lot of ridicule," consumer psychologist, creative strategist, and Thinkerbell founder Adam Ferrier previously told 9news.com.au.
But AI can be a powerful marketing tool when used well and Ferrier said it will become more common in advertising as brands become better at using it.
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University of Sydney Business School lecturer and consumer psychologist Dr Christina Anthony said it's likely that consumers will not react as strongly to AI ad campaigns as they become more normalised.
"And most brands won't abandon generative AI as the efficiencies are too valuable," she previously told 9news.com.au.
Instead, they'll work towards making AI content that feels more authentic and human-centred – so much so that it may become undetectable.
New data has shown that more than half of Australians are unable to tell the difference between a real image and a deepfake.
Though consumers seem to have spotted Jeanswest's clunky AI content without any issue, future generative AI ad campaigns made with rapidly improving technology will likely be harder to identify.
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