Artificial Intelligence In Fashion Essay

Artificial intelligence (AI), once only a notion of science fiction, is steadily approaching reality. Developing a HAL-like computer from Stanley Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey" or a Samantha-like operating system from Spike Jonze's film "Her" may never be possible, but artificially intelligent devices already exist. Today's technology is years ahead of its time and has already altered human life immensely. The fashion industry, like all of humanity, is victim to today's and tomorrow's advanced machinery. The internet has already modified the fashion industry by changing the way brands market themselves and has made the fast-paced work environment of this industry even faster. Human creativity is one of the major challenges of AI, but

as technology quickly develops human-like skills, creative destruction will slowly occur. Therefore, the creative forces behind the fashion industry must adapt to AI before it disrupts the structure of advertising and marketing within the fashion industry. For some, developing AI may seem like, as Elon Musk said, "summoning the demon," but the version of AI the fashion industry may explore will probably not bring the downfall of humanity. Instead, this version of AI will shape how advertising is created and assist in designing theatrical shows to captivate the public. Advanced technology has already taken a toll on the fashion industry; however if the industry can adapt to AI before it dismantles the business structure, then the beneficiaries of AI will include evolving advertising campaigns and developing distinctive marketing techniques.

The way people consume and enjoy all media has already changed, thus affected the way fashion brands market to consumers. Americans nowadays spend most of their time with digital media, and as a result, most brands prioritize digital advertising. To once again captivate its audience, the fashion industry needs to evolve its print and digital advertisements and utilize AI to create engaging campaigns. Fashion advertising has become incredibly mundane and predictable; with the exception of a few, recent editorials and advertising campaigns seem to be missing an essential factor, content that speaks to its audience. Nicola Formichetti, creative director of Diesel describes fashion advertising as more than just creating unusual or beautiful images. Formichetti states, "No one wants to see a catalog shot with a bag and that's becoming more common in advertising. It's my role as a creative director to push boundaries and do something more inspiring. You want people to think, and to question things" (Lockwood, Martens, and McCarthy). When just about everything has been done, creating advertisements that leave people inspired and astonished can be

quite difficult. There is no longer a shock value to advertising campaigns and nothing about "provocative" images are controversial anymore because of the consumer's access to the uncensored internet. The days where a Calvin Klein campaign was controversial because there was too much skin being shown are over. Neil craft, CEO of Kraftworks points out, "I think to some extend the digital thing is exacerbating the problem because it's so easy for people to create their own controversial things. You see almost every week something about a brand's video. It's just a print ad moving. They're not really engaging videos. They're just people walking down the street" (Lockwood, Martens, and McCarthy). Brands need new strategies to target consumers in the digital age, especially since nothing seems to impress people who grew up with technology and had social media accounts since before they were teenagers. Is it really that hard for fashion ads to be controversial without being offensive? Sam Shahid, president and creative director of Shahid & Co., adds, "It's all so product-driven right now. Advertising was as entertaining as a film and a book. You don't have that anymore" (Lockwood, Martens, and McCarthy). It is apparent that technology, the internet in particular, has changed the advertising structure; consumers are constantly in contact with scandalous content because they are always online and on social media, therefore nothing is as shocking as it once was. Right now the nature of advertising is to play it safe, but AI has the power to evolve the way fashion companies target consumers. Although, for some major fashion houses, many of which have only recently came to terms with digital media, adapting to the potential on AI will be difficult.