28 N° 30 LUGLIO 2023 In April 2023, the first edition of AI Fashion Week took place in New York, an event with free access for participants, dedicated to designer collections created entirely with artificial intelligence. It was news that globally inspired a multitude of reflections, both ethical and practical, but also perplexity and hope about the role that AI could play in the fashion world from now on. To capture impressions and participate in the debate, Leather&Luxury posed three questions to three insiders with different ages, experience, and skills in the fashion industry: Francesca Giulia Tavanti, Director of Education at Istituto Marangoni Firenze, Diego Salerno, Fashion scouting and HR Consultant for Max Mara Fashion Group and Head Designer, and Lara Messarra, a student at the Accademia di Costume&Moda, currently an intern at Salvatore Ferragamo. As a designer would you have participated in the AI Fashion Week? Diego Salerno: «I am a freelance designer, so I know the difficulties in finding the funds to create my projects very well. So, I would participate because being able to create and show one of my collections at a lesser cost would be a great opportunity. It could probably even be fun! Professionally, I was born holding a pencil and paper, fabrics and materials, but I am increasingly digitising. In general, any innovative or digital tool can be useful, but AI is also potentially alienating and counterproductive, especially for those who are still in training. Gaining experience remains essential». Lara Messarra: «Yes, I would participate and use AI to try it out, test its potential and evaluate its actual usefulness. As a young designer, I believe that curiosity and the desire to learn about the new things around us are fundamental». Francesca Giulia Tavanti: «As a teacher, I would absolutely support my students in this initiative. It would be a very important opportunity for visibility and consistent with the digital fashion path of our Institute. In general, we are in favour of anything that can give opportunities to students, so we encourage them to participate in this type of contest to give them a good experience». Artificial intelligence and fashion: what are the fears and opportunities? Francesca Giulia Tavanti: «For me, artificial intelligence is above all a tool that, as such, has both positive and negative aspects. From an educational perspective, it is a delicate issue. There are students who use it naturally, while others are not yet familiar with it. Our role as teachers is to guide them critically towards its use. How can it help us? How can it improve certain processes? Our strategy is to apply it at every possible level, from the theoretical-conceptual and philosophical point of view with all its implications, to the practical level. Having said that, however, there is no risk
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