Who owns your digital twin? What fashion model contracts reveal
Fashion brands want digital twins of the people they photograph. A Reuters investigation published on 27 October 2026 found photo-shoot contracts that ask models for the right to be cloned with AI, swapped into other bodies and reused without further pay. The question behind it concerns everyone with a face and a voice: who owns the digital copy of you?
What the contracts asked for
Reuters interviewed 15 model agency directors and reviewed more than a dozen confidential, unsigned photo-shoot contracts. Brands including Diesel, Calvin Klein and L'Oreal set out proposed terms for AI. Among the requests:
- The right to swap a model's face with someone else's using AI.
- The right to create a digital clone of the model with no additional pay.
- The right to use images of a model's body to train AI.
- In one contract, the right to "own" AI replicas of models and use them for a year without further payment.
These were proposed terms. OTB, the parent company of Diesel, said the permission had been drafted for one campaign and does not reflect its standard agreements. Reale Actives, the brand behind the one-year replica clause, said it uses real models, has not replicated any model with AI and that the wording came from a production partner.
Why brands want twins
Cost is the obvious reason: according to the Reuters report, AI imagery can cut costs by 90% or more compared with a shoot with human models. A digital twin can be reused for new campaigns without booking another production, which is exactly what one Barcelona agency owner told Reuters some brands are after.
The rules taking shape
- In Britain, the British Fashion Model Agents Association has drawn up an AI code of practice: AI may only be used with the model's consent, and the model owns any digital twin made of them. Industry codes like this are voluntary.
- In New York, the Fashion Workers Act has required a model's explicit consent before a digital replica is created or altered since June 2025.
- Denmark is debating a bill that would give everyone rights over realistic copies of their face and voice. Read our report.
- In the EU, published deepfakes must be disclosed as AI-made since 2 August 2026. What the AI Act requires.
What it means if you have, or want, a digital twin
You do not need to be a model for this to matter. Contracts for presenters, freelancers, coaches and employees can mention likeness, voice and AI too. Before you sign:
- Search the text for "digital replica", "likeness", "voice", "synthetic" and "AI training".
- Ask for a clear scope: which uses, for how long and in which markets. "Perpetual" and "any media" are red flags.
- Ask to be paid when a copy of you is reused, not only for the day you were filmed.
- Keep the right to approve or withdraw, and to have the copy deleted.
Your twin, on your terms
A twin you build yourself avoids the question. On TalkMie you train your twin on your own words, decide whether its page is public, and your voice is cloned only from your own recordings, with your consent, for your own twin. You can download or delete anything you create. Create your twin, or see what others have built on Socialize.
Questions
Can a brand make a digital clone of me without paying me?
Only if you agree to it. That is why these contract terms matter: in New York the law requires explicit consent for a digital replica, and in Britain the agents' code says the model owns any digital twin, but elsewhere it depends on what you sign.
Which brands were named in the Reuters report?
Reuters named Diesel, Calvin Klein and L'Oreal among the brands whose proposed contracts set out AI terms, and Reale Actives for a clause on owning AI replicas for a year. The companies that replied said the terms were not standard or not used.
Who owns a TalkMie twin?
Its owner. You train it on your own material, choose whether it is public, and can download or delete what you create.