Internationally recognised Trinidad and Tobago barber Anthony Claxton, popularly known as Krewkutz, is urging clients to understand the difference between an AI-generated hairstyle and what can safely and realistically be achieved with their own hair. Krewkutz, who has built a massive social media presence with millions of followers, addressed the issue as more clients reportedly arrive with AI-generated reference images showing the hairstyles, colours and finishes they want. He made it clear that he does not consider AI itself to be the problem. “The real conversation is about expectation,” he said. According to Krewkutz, clients naturally look at an image and focus on the finished appearance. A professional, however, must consider factors that may not be visible in an AI-generated picture, including hair density, porosity, elasticity, shrinkage, length, previous chemical treatments and the overall health of the person’s hair. He explained that when a client presents a reference image, he must determine whether the desired length, volume, colour and texture are realistically achievable and, more importantly, whether attempting to reproduce the look could damage the client’s hair. Krewkutz stressed that clients should not stop bringing AI images to consultations. He said such images can actually be useful because they help professionals understand the direction and appearance a client wants. However, he warned that an AI image should be treated as inspiration rather than a guarantee. “The consultation is what tells us what’s actually possible,” he said. He added that a barber or stylist’s responsibility is not necessarily to reproduce an image exactly, but to understand what the client likes about the reference and translate that vision into something suitable for the person’s actual hair. Krewkutz said the major difference is that artificial intelligence can produce a visually perfect hairstyle without having to consider the physical consequences involved in achieving it. “AI could create an image without any consequence, but when you’re sitting in my chair, I have to think about every consequence of every decision that I make,” he said. His message highlights an emerging challenge for barbers, hairstylists and other beauty professionals as increasingly realistic AI-generated images influence what customers expect to achieve in the real world.
