Three designers sued fast fashion company Shein in the US for allegedly stealing their work using artificial intelligence. 

Krista Perry, Larissa Martinez and Jay Baron accused (pdf) Shein of contravening the US' 1970 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) by stealing their own and other independent artists’ works 'over and over again, as part of a long and continuous pattern of racketeering.'

According to the claimants, Shein's 'design ‘algorithm’ could not work without generating the kinds of exact copies that can greatly damage an independent designer’s career - especially because Shein’s artificial intelligence is smart enough to misappropriate the pieces with the greatest commercial potential.'