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What are the hallmarks of a luxury brand? Exclusivity, artisan craftsmanship, and a high price tag to match. But iconic fashion house Gucci may have just learned the hard way that advertising can undermine all those qualitiesespecially if its made with AI. On February 23, Gucci started posting promotional images for its upcoming Primavera Fashion Show, its first show under new creative director Demna. The first few photos were inoffensiveMichelangelos David statue, a pair of leather loafersbut then, things took a turn. The next four pictures Gucci posted came with a disclaimer in their captions: Created with AI. The AI-generated ads included renderings of a woman in a fur coat in the middle of a restaurant, a pair of legs emerging from a cars backseat, two models framed against the night sky, and a sports car. They were all images that could easily have been created traditionally with models and photography, leaving fashion fans online scratching their heads as to why Gucci would turn to AI. PRIMAVERAFebruary 272 p.m. CETCreated with AI pic.twitter.com/sNbcFrpTX9— gucci (@gucci) February 23, 2026 PRIMAVERAFebruary 272 p.m. CETCreated with AI pic.twitter.com/tcmmFRJBFo— gucci (@gucci) February 23, 2026 PRIMAVERAFebruary 272 p.m. CET#GucciPrimaveraCreated with AI pic.twitter.com/lNyLEMysp3— gucci (@gucci) February 23, 2026 PRIMAVERAFebruary 272 p.m. CETCreated with AI pic.twitter.com/l7XnsfVGsD— gucci (@gucci) February 23, 2026 AI-generated content often falls flat in advertising. Take Svedka Vodkas now infamous Super Bowl ad, which featured a robotic duo straight from the uncanny valley. Social media users decried the ad as nightmare fuel, with one self-described Svedka fan rationalizing that with how cheap it is they can’t afford a real budget for an ad. Gucci, of course, doesnt have that same excuse. Its no doubt much less expensive to generate an image with AI than to hire a full crew and book a location for a photo shootbut for a brand whose cheapest handbag sells for $850 (and whose most expensive retails for $10,000), disgruntled consumers are making it clear that cutting corners isnt a good look. Fashion lovers werent shy to critique Guccis move. Any luxury brands that used AI slop should not be [considered] luxury anymore, one X user wrote in a viral post. Fastest way for a luxury brand to lose its value, said another. Any luxury brands that used AI slop should not be consider luxury anymore https://t.co/GfwVPlrOhM— (@musesarchive) February 23, 2026 A "luxury" brand using AI…this is a new low https://t.co/eOSK9uVQPc— honeyariedits seeing ari (@honeyariedits) February 23, 2026 a billion dollar company couldn't shoot this? https://t.co/hGLN2xCVl9— (@mugIerette) February 23, 2026 > billion dollar luxury brand> ai photoshoot You cant call yourself luxury anymore. https://t.co/GZlPh0FRha— kira (@kirawontmiss) February 24, 2026 Is Gucci ok with people stealing clothes from their stores, or is it just artists work it is ok to steal? https://t.co/mYuH7WUDks— Ed Newton-Rex (@ednewtonrex) February 24, 2026 fastest way for a luxury brand to lose its value. https://t.co/4ahkNyInz2— The Notorious J.O.V. (@whotfisjovana) February 24, 2026 Whether Gucci can make up any social ground with its actual products remains to be seen: Its Primavera Fashion Show will stream live on X on February 27 at 8 a.m. But Guccis experiment with AI advertising suggests that if brands ask consumers to spare no expense for luxury products, theyll need to shell out too where it counts. Gucci did not respond to Fast Companys request for comment.
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E-Commerce
One week ago, a Savannah, Georgia, woman was killed during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pursuit. It’s not the first time in recent weeks that a bystander has been killed by ICE. However, this storyone involving a Black bystanderhasn’t taken off with the same ferocity as others that have flooded our feeds and torn at our collective heartstrings. In fact, many haven’t even heard about the recent incident. Dr. Linda Davis, a beloved 52-year-old mother of five, was struck by a truck driven by a man who was fleeing immigration officers. Davis taught kindergarten and first grade at Herman W. Hesse K-8 School in Savannah’s south-side suburbs, less than a half mile from where she was killed. The school’s principal, Alonna McMullen, mourned her death in a statement to PBS. “It was extremely difficult to tell 5 and 6 year olds that the teacher they loved and cherished will not be returning to see them,” McMullen said. “To see the looks on their faces, it broke my heart.” Davis’s family also released a statement mourning her tragic and untimely passing, but noting that they would not yet “speculate about the circumstances” that led to it. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), was quick to blame Oscar Vasquez Lopez, the suspect who was fleeing ICE when his car collided with Davis’s. In a statement, DHS described Lopez as “a criminal illegal alien from Guatemala who was issued a final order of removal by a federal judge in 2024.” Different circumstances, and a very different public response Davis’s death is far from the only news story we’ve seen recently involving ICE-related deaths. In January, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse for the VA, was shot and killed by an ICE agent. That shooting came just weeks after Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, was also killed by ICE. In both cases, there was instant outrage across the country, as many Americans took to protesting to voice their concerns around ICE’s protocols. As the national reaction swept the country, the number of stories just seemed to multiply accordingly. For weeks, these stories dominated the news cycle and social media, as protests erupted nationwide. More than a month later, demonstrations honoring the two slain civilians have continued in some parts of the country. Importantly, Davis’s death happened under a different set of circumstances than both Pretti’s and Good’s. For starters, the incident did not involve ICE gunfire. However, the death did occur as a result of an ICE pursuit. And it comes at a time when many violent altercations with ICE are being documented, raising serious questions about the agency’s impact on public safety. While Chatham County Police have a “no-chase” policy for non-violent felonies, the ICE agents seemed to fail to abide by it. In video footage from school zone cameras, three vehicles can be seen chasing Lopez through the school zone. Local police agencies have denied any involvement with the chase. Chester Ellis, Chatham County’s board chairman, spoke to WTOC shortly after the incident, noting that local law enforcement agencies in the area have restrictive policies in place that are specifically meant to guard against incidents like this one. [Our] no-chase policy is to help protect our citizens more than it is anything else, Ellis said. Fast Company reached out to DHS for a comment on the footage but did not hear back by the time of publication. Different circumstances aside, all of the recent ICE-involved civilian deaths have been troubling. Still, while there have been vigils, a GoFundMe campaign, and some major news stories on Linda Davis, the incident is far from being as visible as that of Pretti’s or Good’s. That can be observed in the lack of coverage on major broadcasts, like ABC World News. Likewise, traction gained on the GoFundMe pages for each of the families is notably different according to race. Campaigns for Good and Pretti quickly raised well over $1 million in donations. (At present they have $1.4 million and $1.8 million, respectively.) In the week since Davis’s passing, the GoFundMe for her family has raised just over $16,000 as of Tuesday. Davis isn’t the first Black person to be killed recently in relation to ICE. Keith Porter Jr., a 43-year-old father of two, was killed by an off-duty ICE officer in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve after he reportedly fired a gun in the air. According to an autopsy report, Porter was shot by the officer three times. The local community rallied for accountability from ICE while DHS denied any wrongdoing, echoing the organization’s persistent statements that blame the individuals killed by ICE for their own deaths. The fundraiser has amassed about $300,000 in donations since the incident took place two months ago. Ingrained racial bias It’s tough to miss that there has been far less coverage and, subsequently, less moral outrage involving the most recent ICE-related death. Some experts say that’s not due just to the different set of circumstances, but instead reflects racial biases that allow some stories to get less circulation. Brian C. Stewart is a trial attorney at Parker & McConkie who worked for the family of Gabby Petito, the young traveler who was killed by her fiancé in 2021. That story, which captured global attention, was the subject of countless headlines, dominating the news cycle for months. Eventually, it led to a three-part docuseries, along with other TV movies. Stewart understads how racial bias impacts how stories travel well. He tells Fast Company there’s even a name for it. It’s called “missing white woman syndrome,” and it “refers to the fact that when a white woman goes missing, her case is much more likely to receive widespread media coverage than when a woman of color goes missing,” Stewart says. He continues, “The issue isnt that those cases shouldnt get attention; its that many others dont.” The attorney says that cases involving women of color often don’t get the same kind of attention. However, Stewart adds that it’s not just one system that allows for that bias to continueit’s all of them. “Media outlets, law enforcement, social media platforms, and even the public all play a role,” the attorney explains. “What gets shared, clicked on, and prioritized shapes which cases receive attention.” Not only does the lack of attention lead to cases stalling, Stewart says, but it “leaves families feeling forgotten,” too. Media studies research underscores coverage disparities Surely, there are always arguments to be made about how different circumstances may lead to different reactions or even detract from widespread national moral outrage. However, given how many more Black Americans are killed by law enforcement than white Americans (about three times as many fatal shootings), equality in terms of uproar feels extraordinarily far off. In part, that may be because Americans don’t see as many news stories on Black tragedies. According to a 2020 data analysis published in the journal Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, when victims are killed in “predominantly Black neighborhoods,” the stories aren’t covered as often as those that occur in non-Hispanic white neighborhoods. Likewise, the way those stories are covered is often different. “Those killed in predominantly Black or Hispanic neighborhoods are also less likely to be discussed as multifaceted, complex people,” the report explains. A 2021 report from the Equal Justice Initiative and Global Strategy Group on disparities in media coverage also found racial bias, with the bias showing up in 20 different areas of media coverage. For example, mugshots were used in coverage of cases involving Black defendants 45% of the time, compared to just 8% of the time for white defendants. White defendants were called by their names 50% more than Black defendants. Meanwhile, white victims were shown in photos with friends and familyaimed at drawing sympathetic responsesfour times more than Black victims. So far, it’s unclear as to whether ICE will be held accountable for any of the deaths that have occurred as a result of the organization’s pursuits. But as a bare minimum, the public deserves to know about each and every one, regardless of circumstance or of skin color.
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E-Commerce
Spirit Airlines is hanging on by a thread but it is hanging on. The budget airline announced a plan Tuesday that would put it on track to exit its second bankruptcy in less than two years and stay in operation. The arrangement will keep the company alive while shrinking its expenses and operations down to an even smaller size than what it aimed for during its first bankruptcy, which it filed for in November 2024. With financial support from its creditors, Spirit says it plans to emerge from bankruptcy in late spring or early summer. The company plans to keep its core identity as a value carrier that can still offer fliers the lowest fares in the sky while bolstering its loyalty program a tough task in the fiercely competitive field of rewards programs. Spirit reassured customers that its flights and loyalty program will remain operational through the process. “This agreement in principle is the result of months of hard work and allows Spirit to move toward completing its transformation,” Spirit CEO Dave Davis said in a press release. “Spirit will emerge as a strong, leaner competitor that is positioned to profitably deliver the value American consumers expect at a price they want to pay.” For Spirit, reducing costs is the name of the game. The airline plans to shrink its debt and lease obligations down from $7.4 billion to $2.1 billion as it navigates its second bankruptcy in less than two years. Coming out of the pandemic, Spirit struggled more than most airlines to stay aloft. The company has been buffeted by rising labor costs and supply chain snarls like its peers, but also found its business threatened by changing preferences among fliers who once opted for cheap seats in the sky and now prefer more perks. Spirit shrink and shrinks again In August, Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for a second time. Spirit first filed for bankruptcy in November 2024 in the face of a mountain of debt, and aborted merger negotiations. Following its second bankruptcy, the airline reduced service to a dozen U.S. cities and furloughed a third of its flight attendants in order to stay in the air. We need to shift our focus to a complete rightsizing of the airline, which means volume-based adjustments to our flight attendant group, the airline said in an internal email reported by Reuters. At the time, the drastic measures werent a surprise. Spirit previously warned in its August quarterly earnings report that the company was desperate for cash, with its business balanced on a razors edge. The dire message came six months after the airline emerged from its first bankruptcy with a plan to trim its business and seek profitability. Spirit said then that it would pursue liquidity enhancing measures that could include selling some aircraft and offloading extra airport gate capacity. While it is the Companys goal to execute on these initiatives, there can be no assurance that such initiatives will be successful, the company wrote at the time. In 2024, Spirit sold two dozen planes out of its all-Airbus fleet to generate some emergency cash. Then-Spirit CEO Ted Christie told staffers in an internal memo in early 2025 that the airline faced significant challenges with its business that necessitated further downsizing. The bottom line is, we need to run a smaller airline and get back on better financial footing, Christie wrote. Spirit turned to a merger with fellow budget carrier JetBlue to give its business a lifeline, but that deal ran into a regulatory wall and Spirits path has been rocky ever since.The Justice Department sued to block the $3.8 billion deal citing antitrust concerns and a federal judge sided with the government, killing the merger. In light of the airlines ongoing business woes, Spirit (FLYY) was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange late last year.
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E-Commerce
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