“We look at a moment like this to increase the visibility of our brand. We have great momentum behind us,” McCormick said.
In October, Aerie also promised to use real creators behind the scenes of its campaigns. Since then, the company “had to do a lot within our own house to establish those ground rules,” McCormick explained.
She said Aerie is not against using AI tools to support work such as logistics, planning, and scaling content, but it draws the line at using “AI for bodies, faces, or any lived-in experiences. That will be made by real people.”
In stores, Aerie is also trying to put human connection at the forefront, McCormick said. The brand opens an average of 40 to 50 stores per year, treating them more as community and event spaces. “We love the idea of creating community,” she added.
Aerie is also working toward that goal through the Aerie Real Foundation, which aims to build confidence in women and girls.
A brand movement
Aerie is the latest brand to take a stand against AI as anxiety around the tech grows. This year alone, advertisers including Equinox and Almond Breeze have directly called out AI slop and tech gimmicks in their marketing campaigns in an effort to frame themselves as genuine antidotes to AI-generated inauthenticity.
McCormick said she hopes that movement continues and more brands carefully consider their use of AI.
“We’re not resisting AI in the world, but we are redefining value in an AI world,” she said. “In this industry where everything can be generated, real becomes rare and unique, and that becomes powerful and different.”
