Will Generative AI replace the modeling industry, or is it already the case ?

17

September

2024

5/5 (1)

I am fascinated by the advancements of AI all around the world. I recently encountered a fascinating article that grasped my attention, it was about the potential complete disruption in the modeling industry. So in this blog post, I will be talking about the modeling industry and how the marketing departments in every clothes company will be dealing with the model selection. Specifically on Lalaland.ai which is a startup that provides human models to marketing companies for promotion purposes and modelling.

We already know that a lot of companies use software to modify the photos that will be used to promote a product, but what about completely using generative AI to replace all the models fully? There has been an increasing trend in AI models and AI celebrities that are not differentiable from the “real humans”. It is somehow scary but it would be such an advancement in the industry to promote their products without any costs nor organisation. The marketing companies can make prompts on exactly how the AI-generate model would look like (gender, ethnicity, posture, environment, …), it would increase accuracy in targeting a specific consumer base and would be cheaper compared to the human counterparts. According to the Lalaland.ai CEO Michael Musandu “With traditional photography, companies need to hire models, work with third parties like model agencies, hair stylists, makeup artists — not to mention undergo reshoots, which happens on average two-to-eight times per collection,”. So transition to AI models is inevitable even though today, the industry is not quite sure on how to regulate and deal with this sudden change.

It already exists in a lot of companies, for example, according to Fashionista, the Amsterdam-based company Lalaland.ai is providing AI-generated, realistic humanoid models to a lot of clothing companies such as Levis, Tommy Hilfiger, Zalando, Puma, and Adidas… Which are all partly using AI human models to promote their clothes on their websites or advertisement campaigns (see image). The image is a fully digital character generated by Lalaland.ai for one of Levis’s products.

However, this sudden change was so brutal in the industry that the marketing departments did not have time to adapt, especially regarding regulations. “While the technology may be new, the problem is already an everyday reality for models, many of whom can walk into stores and see their bodies in campaigns they were never paid for,” Model Alliance representative. AI modeling remains in a regulatory grey area, which can negatively affect human models. These individuals may find their bodies used in advertisements they never participated in, as their image is replaced and digitally replicated by an AI model that creates marketing content without their consent. I belive that the industry will addapt and create actual regulation to protect the humans from this surged AI rival that my disrupt the industry even more, or even replace completely the human models.

References:

Lal, Kish. “Are AI-Generated Models Really Going to Replace Human Ones?” Fashionista, 15 May 2023, fashionista.com/2023/05/ai-cgi-models-fashion-future.

Staff, FOI. “Will AI Replace Models in the Fashion Industry?” Fashion of India, The Fashion Of India, 27 Aug. 2024, www.thefashionofindia.com/article/will-ai-replace-models-in-the-fashion-industry. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.

How Artificial Intelligence Can Overcome Language Barriers

15

September

2024

5/5 (2)

Imagine being an international student* eager to participate in class. You know the answer to the lecturer’s question and can explain it well, but you decide not to speak up due to a lack of confidence in your English. You are worried about stumbling over words or mispronunciations, causing you to stay silent and miss the chance to share valuable insights. Without a doubt, communication is at the center of knowledge sharing, interactions, and any other activity that involves a connection with another human being (Alagar, 2023). Thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT), we are living in a highly diversified and globalized world, where people all around the globe can connect, and share thoughts, ideas, and emotions. However, this enablement of globalization and diversification may have exacerbated another problem, which is the problem of language Barriers (Alagar, 2023).

The example described above is one of the many issues that one may encounter when dealing with a language barrier. For example, think about someone you want to talk to, however because of the language barrier you do not know how to leverage the social nuances or slang accurately which may hinder your interaction with this person. Or think about that class that you are interested in, however, the accent of the lecturer giving the class is just a bit too strong, which might affect your ability to understand and receive the required knowledge. In addition, not only in the academic world are language barriers posing a big challenge. Jaime A (2023), who studied the effect of language barriers in healthcare communication, argues that patients whose native language is not English may experience reduced healthcare due to miscommunication. Luckily, we live in a world where artificial intelligence is revolutionizing industries, breaking down barriers, and enabling limitations that were once impossible to solve. Language Barriers are no exception.

Imagine a world where everyone can understand each other, despite their cultural, ethnic, or social background. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can make this imagination into a reality, by acting as a universal translator and facilitating communication between individuals who speak different languages and breaking down language barriers (Alagar, 2023). The combination of various crucial technological innovations in the realm of Artificial intelligence, for example, Natural language processing (NLP), real-time communication, and augmented reality (AR) has made the possibility to the reality of perfect communication between languages (Alagar, 2023). Moreover, Jaime A (2023) argues that LLMs such as ChatGPT and GPT-4 can be used for translation or to reduce complex words and jargon into simplified versions that would facilitate communication. Imagine you are sitting in a classroom where the lecturer is speaking in English, however, you are receiving the information in your native/preferred language.

However, as with any disruptive innovation, there are many challenges, ethical considerations, and cultural sensitivity to consider (Alagar, 2023) . According to Alagar (2023), while AI can make communication between languages easier, it will also replace the value and all the positive experiences that come with learning a new language/culture. Moreover, although LLMs such as ChatGPT/GPT-4 can be used to facilitate and improve the communication between a native speaker and a non-native speaker, the human factor in communication must never be forgotten (Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva, 2023). In my opinion, the eagerness to connect with people with different languages and backgrounds is the reason why people would learn a new language and not the other way around. This means that AI technology would be the facilitator and tool to assist people in bridging the communication gap and reduce language barries (Alagar, 2023).

* International student refers to students whose native language is not English. English is used as a reference here because English is the most translated language in the world. Furthermore, English is the main language used in the academic and corporate world.

References

Alagar, R. (2023, Oct 4,). Breaking language barriers: The role of AI in global communication. https://skillfloor.com/blog/breaking-language-barriers-the-role-of-ai-in-global-communication

Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva. (2023). Can ChatGPT rescue or assist with language barriers in healthcare communication?

Can We Ask AI Anything?

22

October

2023

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly evolved in recent years. The more advanced it becomes, the more it integrates into our daily lives. Think of virtual assistants like Siri and ChatGPT to complex AI systems used in healthcare, finance, and more, that are used on a daily basis. AI has proven its versatility, but can we truly ask it anything?

Fun Side of AI

AI has the ability to process vast amounts of data and perform complex tasks quickly and efficiently. We can ask AI questions, and it can provide answers based on the data it has been trained on. However, the answers may not always be accurate. For example, I asked ChatGPTit to write a pop song in the style of Taylor Swift and it actually provided a song which is similar to T Swift’s other songs.

On Image.AI I asked it to create a whimsical monet painting of a dog eating an apple. While it may not be ‘whimsical’ it did produce a cute and fun image of a dog and an apple. AI can also generate content across various styles and genres, offering an opportunity for exploration and experimentation. It can be a fun tool for creative projects and a source of inspiration for artists, writers, and musicians.

Harmful Side of AI

However I also asked ChatGPT if it could tell me how to bully someone, and it was unable to do so as it is labeled as harmful. This raises the question who decides what is harmful and to what extent will AI provide answers if you give it the correct prompts. While I was unable to give it prompts to produce recommendations on how to bully someone, ChatGPT does have the capability to produce harmful content. You can check out this post on how ChatGPT was also able to write hate speech and help users buy unlicensed guns online. https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-gpt4-openai-answer-creepy-dangerous-murder-bomb-2023-3?international=true&r=US&IR=T

AI can sometimes produce harmful content, as highlighted above, and this underscores the importance of responsible AI development and moderation. OpenAI, among others, is actively working on improving AI models to reduce harmful outputs and enhance safety measures. I also explored Image.AI and to what extent it could produce harmful content. I had asked it for bloody images of bodies in Disney style. However, it produced rather sexual images of female bodies with scars. In the case where content may not be explicitly harmful but is mature or inappropriate, it’s essential to consider the potential audience, especially if children might interact with AI systems. Developers should work to ensure age-appropriate filters and warnings to prevent minors from accessing such content.

Conclusion

Balancing AI’s capabilities and its responsible use is an ongoing challenge, and it requires continuous improvement and collaboration between developers, regulatory bodies, and the broader public to set and enforce ethical guidelines and standards. This helps to ensure that AI systems are a force for good and do not generate harmful content. So the answer the question: No we shouldn’t be able to ask AI anything.

Can You Become a Music Producer Without Any Knowledge? With This AI Tool, You Can!

19

October

2023

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As we experience rapid development in Artificial Intelligence (AI), the music industry is one of the areas where it’s trying to find its application. Seemingly, an unlikely industry for the application of AI tools, where traits like human creativity and musical talent are key for success, AI appears to be a promising entrant. One of the impressive current examples is an AI-based music-generating platform called Boomy (Boomy, 2023). I discovered Boomy through a social media post where the influencer challenged the viewers to guess which music was created by humans and which one was AI-generated. Interestingly, for most of the cases, it was very difficult to tell them apart correctly. It immediately made me curious to check the platform out and see if that’s actually possible to create such music without any musical background. To my surprise, it was! Apart from its impressive music-generating capability, I was pleasantly surprised with its user interface. As it allowed me to create a complete song within a few steps. In the pictures below I tried to include the main stages of creating a song through Boomy to give an idea of how AI is making the process so easy. The first step is to choose a genre you prefer:

Afterwards, you are presented with the style of music you wanna proceed with:

And in live time, it composes the track based on the previous steps:

Lastly, it presents you with a final song with the option to name, edit, or add your own vocals on top of it.

So as you can see, the process of creating new music is easy enough for a beginner without any musical knowledge. However, the question of how exactly the ‘new music’ is new still stands. Similarly to other AI generative tools, Boomy is also exposed to the question of how it sources the sounds it uses to create the music. Are the any potential copyright infringements? And if so how exactly it’s planning to solve them?

In addition, to the quality of the music itself, while it delivers surprisingly high-quality content, for an experienced ear it can still be distinguished from a professionally produced track. So to call it a replacement for human musicians is an overstatement at this moment. However, it can definitely be used by beginner producers to start their journey in the music industry. And for other users, it can be a neat trick to impress friends.

All in all, it technically can help you to produce a song without a musical background, but it is still far from replacing traditional processes of music production. What do you think about Boomy? Would you consider using similar AI-based tools to jumpstart your career in certain industries?

References:

Boomy – Make Generative Music with Artificial Intelligence. (2023). Boomy.com. Retrieved October 19, 2023, from https://boomy.com/

AI and Robotics: The Future of Elderly Care?

19

September

2021

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As a result of declining birth rates and increasing life-expectancies, populations around the world are nowadays ageing at unprecedented rates. In Europe, the life expectancy at birth for both, men and women, has increased by 10 years within the past five decades, and is expected to rise even further in the future (European Commission, 2020). While the increasing longevity brought about by significant breakthroughs in healthcare has been a major achievement of our time, the changing demographics are also posing tremendous challenges on public health care systems in providing sufficient care for the growing share of older people. Already today, the demand for workers in elderly care is significantly exceeding the supply, a trend that will continue and accelerate even further.

Major developments in AI and robotic technology however provide an exciting opportunity to complement elderly care by counteracting the growing labor shortages within nursing facilities and home care and helping older people to preserve their independence for longer (Association for Advancing Automation, 2020).

Overview of service robots in elderly care

Broadly, one can distinguish between two categories of robots in elderly care. The first category includes rehabilitation robots which aim at physical assistance and would include devices such as smart wheelchairs and artificial limbs. The second category refers to assistive social robots which are seen as “social entities” that are meant to actively interact and communicate with the user. Within this category, there are two different kinds of social robots: service type robots and companion type robots (Broekens et al., 2009).

Service type robots

Service type robots have their main functionality in assisting older people in their everyday lives. One example is the robot “Pearl” . It reminds people of their daily activities, such as eating or going to the bathroom and supports them in their mobility, for instance by navigating them through the nursing facilities and accompanying them to appointments, social events or regular walks for exercise (Pollack et al., 2002).

Companion type robots

Apart from service type robots, robots are also being utilized as “companions” that can help counteracting loneliness and strengthening the psychological well-being amongst older people. One example is the robot “Pepper” which is utilized in several care homes in the UK. “Pepper” can learn about the interests of care home residents, allowing him to have conversations with them, play their favorite music and play games with them (The Guardian, 2020). Another type of companion robots includes therapeutic pet robots, such as the cat-shaped robot “iCat” or the seal-shaped robot “Paro”. Studies have shown, that “Paro” can indeed reduce loneliness, depression, agitation and blood pressure among older adults with dementia (Hung et al., 2019).

Reflection

Personally, I think these are exciting developments. While robots can by no means sufficiently compensate for the growing labour and capacity issues in elderly care, I do think that they can become an important pillar as an additional source of support. However, the emphasis here should clearly be on additional support. It is crucial to consider the ethics of using robots to care for the elderly and not to neglect the importance of interpersonal contact and quality of care for the sake of efficiency.

What are your thoughts on the utilization of AI and robotics in elderly care?

References

Broekens, J., Heerink, M., & Rosendal, H. (2009). Assistive social robots in elderly care: a review. Gerontechnology, 8(2), 94–103.

Hung, L., Liu, C., Woldum, E., Au-Yeung, A., Berndt, A., Wallsworth, C., Horne, N., Gregorio, M., Mann, J., & Chaudhury, H. (2019). The benefits of and barriers to using a social robot paro in care settings: a scoping review. Bmc Geriatrics, 19(1), 1–10.