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The story
When Birthday, a baby and kids’ clothing brand under the Shimamura group, used AI-generated models in an ad, it became a hot topic on 5channel after users noticed that several of the models’ faces looked strikingly similar. ENCOUNT reached out to the company’s head office, which explained its reasoning for using generative AI. Some in the thread criticized the move as a lazy shortcut to avoid varying the same face, while others countered that expecting more from a bargain kids’-clothing flyer was asking too much. The discussion expanded to cover why AI faces look unnatural (many pointed to their overly symmetrical, too-perfect features), debates over copyright and portrait rights, and worries that jobs for actors and models could disappear.
“All the Models’ Faces Look the Same” — Birthday’s Ad Causes a Stir; We Asked HQ Why They Used Generative AI | ENCOUNT
2026.09.20
By: ENCOUNT Editorial Dept. / Cross-Media Team
Source: encount.press / Original article here
What people said
come on, stop making all three models have the same face lol
Exactly this.
Most people in that price bracket would rather they used the savings to cut the price instead.
It's sloppy, or something like that…
In a way it's actually kind of novel lol
Even before AI, you could've dressed the same model in different outfits and composited the shots to get an ad with the same face repeated everywhere — the real question is why nobody ever bothered doing that.
Right?
Something this simple shouldn't take much time or effort, so just do it already lol
Re: #211
How are all the people out there who are 'just pretty' going to make a living from now on?
The ones who can headline are still safe for now,
but the real problem is the background extras ("gaya") — they're completely unnecessary now.
Online video ads are increasingly using AI-generated people too, from young women to middle-aged men and women.
Work for struggling actors is probably going to dry up as well.
Reminds me of NieR: Automata.
(;゜Д゜) Wait, they're not siblings?
It's no different from dressing a mannequin.
I really don't get what people are thinking.
Same thing as the uncanny valley — when something looks almost, but not quite, human, the creepiness gets stronger.
You've never even read the uncanny valley paper,
you shouldn't talk like you know what you're on about.
Honestly it doesn't feel as jarring as old-school CGI did.
If anything it's unnatural in a 'too flawless' kind of way.
Because the symmetry is too strong.
Real humans are never that perfectly balanced.
Because the left and right sides match. Real people's faces are always subtly different from one side to the other — that's what feels off.
Though if AI starts varying the two sides too, we might not be able to tell anymore.
These days heavily retouched real photos are way creepier than AI, so honestly I can't tell the difference anymore.
https://www.kts-tv.co.jp/program/kagonew/data/img/539/main_1.png
It can do realistic-looking faces too.
They should've at least done this much.
Can't believe sukajan (souvenir embroidered bomber jackets) are still a thing…
Isn't it just the usual cycle — trendy for a while, fades out, then comes back around again?
Didn't (Shinjiro) Koizumi wear one recently, grinning from ear to ear, alongside Hegseth?
It's not breaking any law — stop shoving your made-up rules on everyone.
It IS infringing copyright, though.
And with real photographs, depending on the case, it can infringe portrait rights too.
It's not just that people find it off-putting — a lot of them are using it as an excuse to attack, and that's what makes it garbage.
Re: #219
If you really think that, why not file a lawsuit?
But you don't have the guts to, do you?
Because you don't have solid proof.
It's not just that people find it off-putting — a lot of them are using it as an excuse to attack, and that's what makes it garbage.
Re: #219
If you really think that, why not file a lawsuit?
But you don't have the guts to, do you?
Because you don't have solid proof.
Feeling it's off is fine, but don't go complaining to the company about it.
If you don't like it, just don't buy it — end of story.
Maybe 'body-part actress' is the new frontier lol
If it's just about replacing them, it seems doable to a decent degree already — and someday there might even be a template flow like 'use this actress for this kind of scene.'
Unless you're the type who goes to handshake events, it's all the same once you finish.
Background and Key Points of This Story
Generative-AI ad production is spreading in the apparel industry because it cuts down on photoshoot and labor costs. Birthday is a baby and kids’ clothing brand under the Shimamura group, centered on relatively low-priced items. Opinions split in the thread over whether the similar-looking model faces reflected “cutting corners” or whether expecting more from a flyer for cheap goods was simply unreasonable. It’s also worth noting that since AI-generated faces aren’t photographs of any specific real person, they don’t automatically amount to copyright or portrait-rights infringement — a point some replies got wrong, making it premature to brand the practice “illegal” without hearing the company’s explanation. Beyond this particular ad, concerns also surfaced, in a broader context, that AI could replace work for extras and lower-profile actors and models.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5channel (Breaking News+) thread “[Shimamura] “All the Models’ Faces Look the Same” — Birthday’s Ad Causes a Stir; We Asked HQ Why They Used Generative AI.”
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