Australian linen brand Sheridan has launched a campaign in partnership with Absolutely AI in which every model you see is entirely AI-generated. Not a single real person was hired, paid, or credited.

They did not just generate fake people. They gave them names, sleep profiles, and personality types. Full human identities, constructed by a computer, to sell you a quilt.

"Bella" is a Cold Sleeper. Calm and Reflective. Recommended product: Lightweight Cotton. "Kimberly" is a Hot Sleeper. Family-Orientated. Recommended product: Feather and Down.

There are a whole cast of AI characters.

They do not exist.

None of them have ever had a bad night's sleep, a sore back, or a toddler climbing into bed at 3am.

The AI cast features people of different ages, ethnicities and hair types. It is worth asking how often Sheridan books that same range of real humans for campaigns and actually pays them for their time and likeness?

This is what concerns us about the direction AI is taking in advertising and marketing. Real people are being removed from the equation entirely. Not because the technology is better. Because it is cheaper.

What makes this particularly important is that ethical alternatives already exist. Talent agencies represent real people, including people with genuine sleep issues and real life experiences, who can licence their digital likeness through consensual AI frameworks. It is entirely possible to use AI creatively and still compensate a real human being for their contribution.

Sheridan had that option and chose not to take it.

If this concerns you, consider where you spend your money. And please sign and share this petition. The goal is not to stop innovation. It is to make sure that innovation does not come at the cost of real people's livelihoods and dignity.