Is There a Future Where Mannequins Walk and Talk?
By Karinne Aguirre
When asked to consider the reality of artificial intelligence, I find myself conjuring up images of robotic colonies on faraway planets and machine-led revolutions like that of The Matrix and War of the Worlds. But the impact of artificial intelligence is already visible in our quotidian lives. Everytime you open your phone with Face ID, ask Siri a question, or use Google Maps, you are engaging directly with artificial intelligence. Put simply, if you use a smartphone, you are interacting with AI.
Artificial intelligence is used to refer to computer-based technology that is meant to perform tasks and provide solutions in events that have historically relied on human intelligence. Think about a Google search. Artificial intelligence is used to gather and arrange hundreds of thousands of data points from all over the internet. In this case, AI is taking the place of the individual who would otherwise have to collect and search through data available in a library, for example. Google and Apple, in addition to thousands of other companies, use artificial intelligence to gather and interpret data, develop solutions, and expedite manufacturing and production processes. Integrating AI into one’s business model has enormous appeal; technology can process data at an unmatched rate, provide perfectly programmed customer service, and perform quality assurance checks without risk of human error.
Lil Miquela via Instagram. Lil Miquela is a computer-generated social media personality, created by transmedia studio Brud.
For retailers, artificial intelligence can help with inventory and sales predictions, manufacturing and production processes, and in-person shopping experiences. By outsourcing some of this labor to robotics, companies save time and money in the long-term, and eliminate error. During production, fabric samples and designs are sent back and forth between designers, patternmakers, garment manufacturers, and company officials. This is a lengthy and tedious process; AI could provide an enormous helping hand by automating design through 3D modeling. In 2018, The Fabricant was launched as “the world’s first digital fashion house,” and they have reported that the replacement of physical garments with digital samples during design and development phases dramatically reduced the brand’s carbon footprint by up to 30%. AI can be used to develop customer profiles and market other products that said customers would be likely to buy and it can be used to determine price recommendations based on competitors, but the most monumental impact of artificial intelligence in the world of fashion is the work it does to resolve the environmental impact of the industry.
According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 85% of textiles produced each year are thrown into landfill and 35% of all microplastics found in the ocean come from the wash waste of laundered synthetic fabrics. The average number of times an item was worn decreased by 36% overall from the years 2000 to 2015. If you have spent any amount of time on fashion TikTok, you’ve heard about micro-trends – a term meant to describe a recent phenomenon in which trend cycles have become noticeably shorter, lasting the span of a few weeks or months. This event resulted in the rise and prominence of fast-fashion, in which brands mass-produce trendy clothing at a low cost, turning out clothing that is meant to be worn once and thrown away. As one could imagine, the environmental effects of this sort of fashion production are disastrous. But the implementation of AI could soften the blow. One of the consequences of fast-fashion manufacturing procedures is the amount of unsold stock left after each season, which eventually finds its way into the landfill. AI has the capacity to take the guesswork out of inventory management and predict sales, and has proven to reduce inventory levels by as much as 50% (Wolhuter). Each stage in the value chain adds to the environmental impact of producing fashion; by using blockchain to reveal the production of garments, businesses are streamlining and expediting each and every task, minimizing carbon emissions, water pollution, and waste.
Lil Miquela via Instagram. Lil Miquela is a computer-generated social media personality, created by transmedia studio Brud.
Of course, nothing exists without consequences. The central issue that comes to mind in consideration of AI is the thousands of workers that could be, or already have been, left without jobs. Within the fashion industry, this includes central positions such as models, garment manufacturers and seamstresses, stylists, and customer service workers. By adopting AI, we forgo the human element in favor of a well-lubricated machine, and popular response to this is divided, and in fact, leans in favor of human interaction. According to a 2019 CGS study, 86% of customers prefer to interact with a human agent as opposed to AI. There is an ineffable quality to human interaction in transactional situations that makes customers feel at ease, although customer service workers are unlikely to feel the same.
Whether you feel comfortable with the encroaching role of AI in fashion or you yearn for the days when cell phones were science fiction, artificial intelligence is a part of the future we will all have to contend with. Hopefully it comes with Cher’s digital closet.
Wolhuter, S., 2021. AI is leading the charge for sustainable fashion - WeAreBrain Blog. [online] WeAreBrain Blog. Available at: <https://wearebrain.com/blog/ecommerce/ai-sustainable-fashion/> [Accessed 28 March 2022].