Human-in-the-Loop Aesthetic Governance: The Role of Visual Merchandisers in Mitigating AI Brand Misalignment

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into fashion retail has transformed visual merchandising by enabling automated and scalable content creation. However, AI-generated visual outputs may lack contextual awareness, cultural sensitivity, and aesthetic judgment, potentially creating inconsistencies in brand representation. This study conceptualizes this challenge as AI-driven brand misalignment and proposes a human-in-the-loop (HITL) framework in which visual merchandisers evaluate, refine, and correct AI-generated visual outputs. The study examines the relationship between AI-generated visual outputs and brand identity alignment, with visual merchandiser intervention acting as a mediator. A quantitative research design will be adopted using a structured questionnaire with a target of at least 302 valid respondents. The adequacy of this target will be assessed through an a priori statistical power analysis based on the requirements of the proposed analysis. Regression-based mediation analysis or structural equation modeling (SEM) will be used to test the proposed relationships. The study is expected to contribute to understanding the role of human aesthetic oversight in AI-driven fashion retail.