Aerie Takes a Stand Against AI Marketing With Pamela Anderson

What does “reality” mean in the AI era? For Aerie, American Eagle’s leisure and lingerie brand, authenticity is entirely human — untouched or altered by artificial intelligence. As consumers and brands grapple with how to respond to rapidly evolving technology, the brand is taking a stance against it. Last October, Aerie expanded its “100% Aerie Real” anti-modification pledge to never use AI-generated bodies or characters in marketing. Today, the brand takes it a step further by releasing a bold new anti-AI film campaign starring raw beauty advocate Pamela Anderson.

“I think it’s a clever way to attract attention [AI images] Because it’s very concerning,” Anderson said Fashion. “For me, as a woman, as a consumer, as a mother, I always wonder, what’s going on? What’s the difference between AI and reality? How do we know? It’s already frustrating sometimes to look at fashion magazines and see celebrities and models being retouched, but this is on another level.”

Since debuting makeup-free at Paris Fashion Week in 2023, Anderson has become a leading voice for natural beauty and authentic aging. In the film, which will be streamed on Aerie’s social channels as well as YouTube, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney and HBO, her voice serves as the driving force issuing commands to a so-called AI-generated world, unable to get the authentic human “real-feeling” results she wants from the scenes of inanimate models. The scene then blends into the “real” eyrie scene, the model comes to life, and Anderson appears on camera and says, “You can’t cue this.”

A big part of luxury marketing is reinforcing messaging around craftsmanship, process and humanity, with recent campaigns from brands like Loewe, Bottega Veneta, Jacquemus and Miu Miu centering around these values and showcasing the handcrafted processes behind their products. Others have leaned toward AI imagery — most recently Prada, via its spring/summer 26 campaign with artist Jordan Wolfson, as well as Gucci and Valentino — but have faced an online backlash from creatives and consumers alike. However, Aerie was one of the first fashion brands to take an explicit anti-AI stance as a central message in its marketing. It’s a bold strategy that seems to be resonating with consumers. Last October, the brand launched its first “live-person” anti-AI campaign on Instagram, which quickly went viral.

“We’ve seen double-digit growth in brand awareness since we soft-launched our anti-AI message in October,” said Aerie Chief Marketing Officer Stacey McCormick. Aerie Brands reported sales growth of 23% in the fourth quarter of 2025. “There’s also been a very strong shift in our awareness and considerations.”

I sat down with Pamela Anderson and Stacey McCormick to learn more about the new film, as well as the brand strategy behind Aerie’s anti-AI marketing pledge.