With world politics changing at dizzying speeds in recent weeks, Elon Musk used fashion to take a jab at current world powers by sharing an AI-generated virtual runway show featuring global political leaders and tech giants.
The SpaceX founder and Trump campaign supporter posted the fake virtual fashion show Sunday on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, which he controls and of which is the largest shareholder. Pope Francis opens the digital event wearing a white Balenciaga-like puffer coat similar to the deep fake Midjourney-created one that went viral last year. Clocking in just under two minutes, the AI-created show also features likenesses of Russian president Vladimir Putin in a rainbow-colored strapless Louis Vuitton-inspired gown, Kamala Harris in a coconut-like bikini top and “Harris 2024”-imprinted skirt and Donald Trump in an orange pinstripe prison-like jumpsuit with “LV” logos on the chest and with dangling handcuffs.
Musk has pledged $45 million to a pro-Trump PAC, as the former president continues with his reelection bid. The video also has a Hillary Clinton-inspired character in a red pantsuit covered with what looks like “Supreme” logos — (absent the second “e”); a Joe Biden-inspired persona is featured wearing aviator sunglasses and in a camouflage suit going down the runway in a wheelchair, and there is a likeness of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un wearing a chunky gold chain and hooded coat covered with images of him and “Kim” printed across the chest. The virtual fake runway show had 104.6 million views on “X.”
Ih his “High time for an AI fashion show” post, Musk also takes aim at himself — somewhat — first bare-chested in a sumo wrestler outfit and then in a black Tesla-emblazoned superhero suit. Unlike the other virtual models, who have one runway look, the character inspired by former president Barack Obama has 13 ensembles including two gladiator ones imprinted with “Hope.”
There are also AI-generated takes — or fakes might be more appropriate — of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos wearing a bill-printed ensemble with a “B” that is designed to look like a dollar sign; a Tim Cook avatar has a MacBook Pro attached to translucent suspenders with a black top, an “Apple” logo belt, black printed skirt and black handbag, and a Mark Zuckerberg-inspired form is seen in a Speedo bathing suit with a “FB” logo.
Musk is no stranger to fashion. His mother Maye has been a model for more than 50 years, in addition to running a nutrition business. The 76-year-old posted last month that she had four cover shoots in the works. Asked to comment about Elon’s virtual runway show post and how fashion is being used to make politics more relatable, Maye Musk declined. Her manager Anna Sherman chose to pass and said via email, “These topics are not Maye’s areas of expertise.”
Lynn University’s associate professor of marketing Andrew Burnstine said Monday that the AI-powered show underscores the “surreal intersection of politics, technology and celebrity culture.”
Burnstine, whose students are learning about the importance of AI in relation to fashion and marketing, said Musk’s world leaders show is reminiscent of Moschino’s “audacious commentary through fashion in decades past. It was a spectacle that blended satire, technology and cultural critique,” he said. “Today, we see a new commentary on fashion, through the lens of AI and advanced technology.”
