Valentino posted AI-generated ads — and the internet called them nightmare fuel

In early December 2025, Italian luxury house Valentino posted a surreal AI-generated video on Instagram to promote its new DeVain handbag. The ad showed models emerging from an ornate gold version of the bag, with the Valentino logo transforming into human arms and a swirl of bodies coalescing across the frame. A label indicated it was made using AI.

The reaction was immediate and brutal. Hundreds of comments called the visuals 'disturbing,' 'sloppy,' 'cheap,' 'lazy,' and 'tacky.' One Instagram user wrote: 'Disappointing from a couture fashion house. AI in this instance is lazy at best.' Critics accused the brand of choosing 'efficiency over artistry' and likened the content to 'AI slop.' Dr Rebecca Swift of Getty Images noted that the backlash suggests consumers see AI content as 'less valuable' than human creations.

Valentino did not issue any public statement acknowledging the criticism. The ads remained on its channels. The silence left the impression that a luxury house charging thousands of euros for hand-crafted garments had nothing to say about its own creative choices.