AI and fashion jobs: which roles change first, according to the evidence

Marketing, communications, finance and manufacturing roles are seeing the greatest impact from AI automation in fashion, according to McKinsey & Company and BoF Insights' 10th annual State of Fashion report. More than 35 per cent of executives report already using generative AI in areas such as online customer service, image creation, copywriting, consumer search, or product discovery. While 92 per cent of companies say they will increase their investments in generative AI, only 1 per cent say their deployment of AI has reached maturity. The pattern emerging from labour studies, industry surveys and company statements is clear: tasks involving routine data manipulation and content production are changing first, whilst strategic and creative judgement remains in human hands.

Which functions see the biggest productivity gains from AI?

Whilst finance and manufacturing roles will see the greatest overall impact from automation without generative AI, automation with generative AI could lead to huge productivity gains for fashion players in their marketing and sales functions, according to the State of Fashion 2026 report. Communications and marketing functions could see the greatest increases in time savings from automation with generative AI in the US fashion industry.

The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 anticipates that by 2030, AI and other information processing technologies will transform 86 per cent of businesses, sparking the creation of 170 million new roles worldwide whilst making 92 million existing jobs redundant. The findings project a net 78 million new roles by 2030, even as 22 per cent of current jobs undergo structural change.

By 2030, around one third of employee time across industries could be automated by generative AI and other technologies in Europe and the US, according to figures cited in the State of Fashion 2026 report.

What types of jobs are most exposed to automation?

Some transactional functions with highly repetitive tasks, like core corporate services such as accounting and payroll processing, may become very heavily automated, the State of Fashion 2026 analysis found. Fashion companies of the future will be more efficient, with employees focused on higher-value tasks.

The evidence suggests that junior and entry-level positions in highly digitised sectors are particularly exposed to AI-driven automation, as they often involve routine cognitive tasks, according to the International Labour Organization's report for its 114th Session in 2026. As a result, a much wider range of occupations, including those involving higher skills and creative functions, may be affected.

In neighbouring Bangladesh, the world's second-largest garment exporter, around 60 per cent of apparel workers or 2.7 million people, could lose their jobs to automation, including AI, according to projections cited in an April 2026 analysis.

Which creative and technical roles are changing?

The impact on design functions is more nuanced. Projections indicate that AI could eliminate 60 to 80 per cent of fashion design and development jobs by 2028. Not unpredictably, pattern designers, junior and technical designers will be hardest hit, whilst creative workers in high-end luxury and couture may remain relatively protected.

The consensus across industry sources in 2026 is that AI does not replace designers; it reallocates their time. Technical tasks that previously consumed hours, including grading, spec documentation and pattern matching, are automated or accelerated. The designer's attention shifts towards creative and judgement-intensive decisions, according to a January 2026 analysis.

The BoF-McKinsey State of Fashion 2026 report documents how AI is transforming existing roles whilst creating new ones. The most in-demand hybrid profiles combine traditional craft knowledge (pattern making, construction, fit expertise) with technical fluency in 3D tools, AI platforms and data systems.

What roles are fashion firms hiring for now?

Artificial intelligence investments are set to boost productivity, meaning some existing positions will become AI-centric and new roles will emerge. Some of the fastest-growing jobs found in technology, data and AI, but growth also expected for core economy roles including delivery drivers, care roles, educators and farmworkers, the WEF report found.

Entirely new job categories are appearing. Fashion firms are now recruiting for AI prompt engineers, digital designers, fashion data analysts and roles that bridge traditional merchandising expertise with data science capabilities. Recent reports highlight a 35 per cent surge in demand for AI-related skills within retail and fashion over the past three years.

What do employers say they are planning?

Whilst 41 per cent of organisations expect to reduce their workforce in roles exposed to AI-induced skills obsolescence, 70 per cent plan to hire people with new AI-related skills; a contradiction that defines the challenge ahead, according to the Future of Jobs Report 2025.

More than 35 per cent of executives report already using it in areas such as online customer service, image creation, copywriting, consumer search, or product discovery. Global fashion and luxury players have made progress deploying automation with generative AI in select functions for routine tasks.

Many are stuck in pilot mode, testing siloed AI solutions with limited impact, with scaling often seen as too complex or costly. This gap between intention and execution suggests the transformation will be uneven across firms and geographies.

What does the ILO say about labour protections?

At the opening of the 114th International Labour Conference in June 2026, ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo stated: "The future of work will not be determined by technology alone, but by the policies, the institutions and the social dialogue that guide it. The choices we make today will determine whether AI broadens opportunity and shared prosperity or deepens inequality and insecurity".

As reflected in the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs 2025 report, employers anticipate 39 per cent of core skills will change by 2030. The scale and speed of this shift explains why labour organisations and standards bodies are calling for coordinated responses that protect workers whilst enabling firms to capture productivity gains.

The evidence base is now substantial enough to draw preliminary conclusions. Marketing content production, back-office transaction processing and junior technical design roles are automating or augmenting fastest. Creative direction, buyer relationships, complex problem-solving and craft expertise remain difficult to automate. The question for fashion businesses is not whether AI will change their workforce, but how quickly they can reskill people for the hybrid roles that are emerging.

Researched and drafted with AI support, reviewed and released by the editorial team.

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