The cost of artificial intelligence – is luxury fashion ready to pay the price for digital perfection?

In an era where technology not only supports but shapes the aesthetics, pace, and identity of brands, the question of the cost of artificial intelligence is increasingly being asked. It personalizes Dior’s campaigns, proposes new formulas for Chanel lipsticks, assists in market analysis for fashion houses, and predicts in advance which fragrance will captivate the senses in the fall of 2026. Although it operates in the shadows, its impact is spectacular—elegant, subtle, perfectly integrated into the world of prestige.

And yet, the more invisible it becomes, the more questions it raises. Not because of what it offers at first glance, but because of what it consistently hides. Because although AI leaves no trash or perfume stains on silk scarves, it leaves behind something much less fleeting: the carbon footprint of artificial intelligence. Powerful, ever-growing and, most surprisingly, more harmful than many phenomena commonly recognized as the greatest threats to the environment, such as heavy industry or textile factories.

In the offices of premium companies, where every decision is weighed with obsessive precision, there comes a moment when an uncomfortable question must be asked: how much does digital perfection, which is supposed to serve beauty, cost our planet?

Digital perfection, physical cost

Modernity seems flawless. Smooth, quiet, free of the dirt and grease of old machines. In our imagination, artificial intelligence resembles a crystal mechanism floating in the ether – ethereal, sterile, aesthetic. However, this is only a projection, because although its surface is shiny and cool like a chrome casing, its foundations are heavy, hot, and expensive – not only economically, but above all environmentally.

Behind every elegant façade are data centers – powerful industrial structures, often hidden from view, consuming enormous amounts of electricity and water. It is there that the “intelligence” so passionately embraced by the fashion world is born. Luxury – today striving for perfection, immediacy, and personalization – has found an ideal ally in AI. But does digitally generated beauty really leave no trace?

Currently, data centers account for 2 to 3% of global CO₂ emissions – more than the entire aviation sector. The forecasts are alarming: according to data from the International Energy Agency, by 2030 the ICT sector could generate up to 10% of global emissions, with the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence being the biggest driver of this growth. The energy cost of AI is increasing as it becomes more advanced.

The traditional production of a single haute couture collection generates an average of 20–40 tons of CO₂. Meanwhile, training a large AI model, such as those used for trend analysis or personalization of purchases in luxury brands, can generate as much as 500 tons of emissions – the equivalent of monthly flights from London to Sydney. And this is only the beginning of the model’s life cycle – updates and scaling require additional resources.

A report by the University of Massachusetts Amherst shows that a single language model consumes as much energy as a medium-sized company in a year. This consumption goes hand in hand with the need to cool the infrastructure. US data centers consumed over 660 billion liters of water in 2023 – in drought-stricken countries, this environmental cost of artificial intelligence could exacerbate conflicts.

Added to this is e-waste – in 2023, over 62 million tons were generated worldwide, of which only 22% was recycled. The development of AI is forcing the replacement of equipment, and the extraction of lithium, cobalt, and neodymium takes place under conditions that are far from ethical – often at the expense of the health of local communities.

The social consequences of the cost of AI

The cost of artificial intelligence is not just emissions and energy consumption. It also has an impact on creative industries. AI limits the space for human imperfection – the very thing that has been a source of beauty for centuries. Instead of personal choices made by designers, we will see solutions optimized by algorithms. Instead of authentic expression, we will see calculated emotion.

AI does not have to be the enemy, but it must have limits. Environmental and ethical awareness should be the foundation of every technological decision. Because if clean air and water are the greatest luxuries of the future, the fashion industry should anticipate the effects of technology with the same foresight with which it anticipates trends.

As they say in the fashion world, genius comes at a price. But are we ready for the planet to pay the price for this genius?

The fashion of the future or a future without fashion?

Matter that was once flesh becomes a collection of data. Artificial intelligence, once just a tool, is now a creator of aesthetics, an architect of fashion visions, a guide to seasonal emotions. In the archives of fashion houses, data replaces sketches, and collections are perfect but devoid of the chaos of inspiration.

And then the human element disappears – the imperfection of a seam, the harmony of chance. Fashion becomes a product of an algorithm, not of the heart. Luxury, which was supposed to celebrate beauty, becomes a product of a process.

A paradox? The closer we get to digital perfection, the further we are from the essence of luxury. Because luxury is not just a form – it is emotion, memory, presence. The most beautiful dress generated by AI can simultaneously accelerate the melting of glaciers.

The cost of artificial intelligence in fashion is therefore twofold: aesthetic and ecological. And before technology completely envelops us, it is worth asking whether beauty without responsibility is still beauty.