What is LVMH's AI Factory?

Years in the making, the luxury conglomerates AI initiative is here – but what is it, and why does it matter? We asked insiders.

Welcome to AI’m Scared, a new series in which we explore the impact – good and bad – of AI on fashion and the creative industries.

“What does AI Factory mean?” asks Matthew Needham, the fashion designer and founder of Trash Club, a global network of ‘conscious creatives’. “A ‘factory’ suggests speed, repetition, and excessive production. What we need right now in fashion is the opposite. We need to slow everything down and rethink.”

The luxury conglomerate’s AI Factory is four years in the making. As described in the job posting for the now-closed Director position, the initiative aims to “craft proprietary and responsible AI to support the business of our Maisons globally.” In practice, this means building a repository of customisable algorithms to serve the unique needs of its 75 brands.