According to McKinsey&Company (2018), artificial intelligence (AI) will get real in the fashion industry in 2018 as 75% of the fashion retailers are determined to invest in AI within the next two years. As such, AI will revolutionize all parts of the fashion value chain, generating new techniques of value creation for all stakeholders. As AI enables to transform big data sets into enriched information, the whole supply chain can be enhanced, ranging from design, manufacturing, and sales to customer service. Therefore, the belief that AI is too mechanical to seize the creative vision of the fashion industry has been invalidated. A blurred line between technology and creativity will evolve. AI will cause disruptions beyond the traditional supply chain processes by redefining creative and customer interaction processes (McKinsey&Company, 2018).
The fashion industry revolves around the human emotions that the apparel provokes. The focus is on personal style, rather than the clothes themselves. Accordingly, what makes the introduction of AI into the fashion industry highly revolutionary is that the technology concentrates on this particular human, emotional part of the industry (Cartner-Morley, 2018). One of the first AI-based style assistants is the Echo Look from Amazon, which helps you compare outfits and find the perfect look for each occasion by examining your outfit through linking specific algorithms. Yet, the tech giant Amazon has taken it to a whole other level by creating an AI designer that utilises images to learn about concurrent fashion trends after which it is able to design items conforming to that trend (Rose, 2018).
However, the question remains: Will AI’s sense of style really be able to surpass the personal and creative style of fashion icons such as Kate Moss?
References
Cartner-Morley, J. (2018). Do robots dream of Prad? How artificial intelligence is reprogramming fashion. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/sep/15/do-robots-dream-of-prada-how-artificial-intelligence-is-reprogramming-fashion
McKinsey&Company (2018). The State of Fashion 2018. Retrieved from https://cdn.businessoffashion.com/reports/The_State_of_Fashion_2018_v2.pdf
Rose, D. (2018). Commentary: AI’s Next Victim: Your Closet. Fortune. Retrieved from http://fortune.com/2018/03/15/fashion-ai-artificial-intelligence-future-kim-kardashian/
I completely agree that AI is disrupting the fashion industry. And to answer your question: AI can possibly having a sense for fashion! The the recent New York Fashion Week, New Balance teamed up with marketing agency VML to spot fashionistas with unique looks, then awarded these trendsetters with a pair of New Balance shoes.
Despite being more like a PR stunt, this movement from New Balance has sparked potentials for AI in terms of fashion indicator. This example, combined with your example from Amazon Echo Look, proves the stepping stone of machine learning in fashion.
I’m starting to think that Gigi and Bella Hadid’s stylist in a future would possibly be a machine.
If you are interested in the New Balance movement, you can check it out here: https://www.fastcompany.com/90228083/new-balance-is-watching-you. Apologies for not including it in the original comment.