When it comes to generative artificial intelligence, there is no doubt that it has changed the face of how we currently see and interact with technology. That much is even more apparent in the business world and how it has affected many industries. One industry in particular remains a mystery when discussing how it could alter the course of its future. This industry, of course, is the fashion industry, and its many businesses have become more and more prevalent as the online spheres have adopted a lot of the fashion industry’s discourse as part of its culture. So, let’s take a look at how generative models can and will change the fashion industry and if those changes are for the better.

Algorithmic models and trend forecasting

Many people expect a lot from the current generation of artificial intelligence, but the reality is that what we call artificial intelligence currently is more of a generative algorithm that learns to study data and reproduce information or produce new information based on the data sample that it was trained on. In the same way that AI girlfriends simulate love, AI-based trend forecasting would essentially take user data and produce results based on the interaction that users have with it. Similar to all these AI chatbots, the reality, of course, is that this doesn’t mean it is a bad thing. What it truly means is that by feeding user data to an AI, you might be able to see patterns and trends in their behaviors and shopping habits which would lead you to a more efficient way of predicting what next trends are coming up or what is currently trending when it comes to needs and general taste.

Generative machine learning and design

Arguably, a lot of people would debate that generative AI in the way that we see it being used to create images could be used for design. While generated images can somewhat inspire, the reality is that the models are currently not precise enough to be relied upon to create truly unique designs that are also entirely feasible. As it is a machine, it doesn’t have any understanding of the actual human work that is being put in both designs and patterns that will eventually lead to actual clothing to be made out of. This is also definitely one of the big things when it comes to fashion where the thing that brings people the fashion is the human aspect of the designs and the creativity that exists behind it. This is why, for example, a lot of people get into fashion because they follow a specific designer and their general philosophy when it comes to design.

Ethics and AI modelling

This is something we have been seeing more and more, especially when it comes to fast fashion. Some companies have decided that instead of hiring models to wear their clothes, they would want to feed their models into an AI and have their clothing be represented by AI images. We saw this especially a few years ago when people were trying to market AI supermodels that would replace actual models. The ethics of these are shaky at best, especially when there is a very real aspect to the selling of ethnic appearances and the general racially ambiguous content of models that represent certain minority groups while being generated by rich Silicon Valley white men. This comes on the heels of a massive movement in the modeling industry where there is a push for the inclusion of people of different backgrounds and different looks to diversify the modeling industry to make it more representative of the actual people sample of the world.

When it comes to artificial intelligence in the fashion industry, it could be very easy to simply dismiss it and say that generally using AI for creative work is simply out of line. There is also a case to be made that AI could do a lot of the very physically intensive work that comes from fashion, especially repetitive movement when dancer production is eased by AI-powered automation. Generally speaking, though, AI is definitely something that is here to stay, and it will not go away. There is no putting this genie back in the bottle, so we might as well learn to use it properly and artist it to not let it get out of control. After all, I should make it easier for people to create and not create in their stead. It is a tool that could make a lot of creative people’s lives easier if it was made to do so instead of replacing them.