The introduction of AI to the fashion world is less threatening to designers than originally expected. Instead of replacing the need for creativity, artificial intelligence enhances the design process, while leaving the responsibility securely in human hands.
New, smart technology can do anything from helping to solve possible issues presented by varying body types, to making recommendations on what designs are likely to sell. Many of these new developments, however, work best when they are accompanied by human counterparts.
The Tension Between Nuances and Numbers
Big companies are currently testing pilot software to help buyers find clothing that will fit their style and body type without having to go in the store to shop. One such software is called Savitude, developed by entrepreneur Camilla Olson. Savitude is appealing to clothing companies because Olson worked on balancing the quantitative qualities (the parts that rely on science and numbers) and the more complicated, qualitative aspects of product design.
This is the crux of the issue for so many tech developers; how to ride the tension between the cold calculation of AI, and the unpredictable intuition of human creativity.
Jenna Niven, the Creative Director at R/GA Advertising, put it this way in an interview with BoF: “Human Creativity isn’t algorithmic, it is illogical and abstract, but we can use AI to overcome the limitations of our mind.”
In other words, we do not have to choose between artificial intelligence and human intelligence. Together, they are a perfect team.
Humans and Algorithms: Better Together
One way that fashion designers are working alongside AI is in concept generation. Artificial intelligence may not be able to be sophisticated enough to pick out the winning design in a sea of options…but it is very good at producing a sea of options. AI design programs are able to generate endless design iterations, providing inspiration to human designers by presenting ideas that they may have never come up with themselves. Algorithms can take a single design and produce all of the possible color and texture combinations in seconds. While AI effortlessly takes care of option quantity, humans can focus on the details of design quality.
Eric Colson, the Chief Algorithms Officer at Stitch Fix, latched on to this method by saying that “the increased in number of possible designs leads to more creativity, as designers see more possibilities and inspiration.” AI programs can continue to learn more about what designs appeal to buyers, narrowing the focus and improving the outcomes of the algorithms. But, Colson argues, humans are still the best curators of style.
Tommy Hilfiger adopted a similar stance, using AI as a launchpad for human creativity. The brand recently partnered with IBM and the Fashion Institute of Technology to track fashion industry trends and customer preferences. The software then makes “recommendations” for the next fashion line. By answering the more basic questions about trending colors and style trends, AI can assist Tommy Hilfiger’s designers in the decision-making process.
The partnership between AI and human designers seems to be the best case scenario. The future of aspiring clothing artists looks like it is safe…for now.