If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. It all started with a nylon purse shaped like a horse. Baggu, the wildly popular brand of reusable shopping bags, announced earlier this month that it would be releasing a collaborative collection with New York-based brand Collina Strada.
In the past, special-edition designer drops have been successful for Baggu: a previous collab of items hitting the web. This new collection — with and , little legs and all — seemed designed to elicit that same viral hype. The brands teased designs.
Influencers posted . Fans were ready to shop. But on the day the bags and accessories were set to go on sale, fans got more details about the designs: some of the prints were created using AI image generator Midjourney.
On product pages, a short disclaimer was added: Some fans were not happy, to put it lightly. called the use of AI “lame,” “so disappointing,” and “unforgivable.” Some customers say they didn’t realize when they placed an order that AI was involved in the design process.
On TikTok, some customers vowed never to purchase from Baggu again. The most common complaints were around a “lack of transparency” that AI was used. Shoppers, it seems, wanted more of a heads-up or more prominent disclaimers.
Others objected to the collaboration on moral grounds, saying AI tools trained on other artists’ work without consent is theft. And finally, is also a common concern, perhaps because Baggu . Baggu.
