During the busy Fashion Week season, everyone wants to stand out. However, attempts to surprise can sometimes backfire, sparking awkward reactions — even when the industry’s leading fashion magazine is behind the effort. Kursiv LifeStyle explores why the appearance of robots at Vogue World failed to impress.
The Vogue World show took place in Milan on Sept. 22. The program featured a dedicated technology segment titled «The Age of Intelligence,» which made an obvious attempt to connect artificial intelligence with haute couture. One of the highlights was a runway appearance by the same «awkward» robots from Unitree that many people have seen in news reports, including footage of scuffles involving the machines.
The robots simply walked down the runway before breaking into a dance. Celebrities and fashion industry heavyweights, perhaps out of habit, greeted the spectacle with applause.
Vogue’s social media accounts described the Chinese robots’ performance as a unique celebration of Italian craftsmanship. However, observant viewers noticed a different reaction among some guests. The robots appeared to particularly baffle Miuccia Prada and Alessandro Michele; their facial expressions during the performance have already spawned memes on social media.
This is not the first time Vogue has tried to combine fashion and AI, only to face criticism. In July 2025, an advertisement for Guess featuring a fully AI-generated model appeared in the magazine’s August 2025 print issue. Vogue said the AI model was part of an advertisement rather than an editorial decision, but the campaign still prompted criticism from readers and others online.
The Anna Wintour factor
Now, those who believe the magazine is doomed without Anna Wintour have another argument to support their view.
Wintour stepped down from her day-to-day role as editor-in-chief of U.S. Vogue in June 2025 after 37 years. She continues to serve as Vogue’s global editorial director and Condé Nast’s chief content officer.
