Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Vera Wang and … Amazon? That could be the list of hot designers creating the latest fashions someday — if Amazon is able to perfect the artificial intelligence (AI) technology on which it’s currently working, that is. Most people are aware Amazon has already launched its own fashion line, but the retailer is working to take the retail category a step further thanks to AI, Mashable reports.
Staff members at Amazon are reportedly researching how to design AI technology capable of identifying and reacting to fashion trends, according to MIT Technology Review. By tracking fashion trends, it is suggested the AI bots may eventually be able to predict and shape them in the future.
The science behind the fashion-forward AI program involves a generative adversarial network (GAN), which reviews scores of samples and is then able to recall specific properties of each style. The programming will create similar apparel items matching the same style, according to Mashable. Amazon’s research and development firm, Lab126, is behind the algorithms powering the fashionable AI programs, which are not yet on the market.
Such technology may be able to scan social media platforms for emerging fashions, which would allow the AI system to identify trends. The system could potentially design similarly-styled articles of clothing for sale on Amazon, items that could even be marketed specifically to certain customer demographics.
AI Takes Greater Hold Of Retail
Amazon’s AI efforts are absolutely on the leading edge of the fashion arena, but the company certainly isn’t the first retailer to use AI to offer tailored and personalized experiences to consumers. AI is also useful in boosting customer service capabilities because the technology can learn and understand consumer preferences and base responses on that information. The bots can analyze the best time of day to contact a customer based on data from that consumer’s previous purchases, online clicks and web browsing data.
Not only can AI create personalized capabilities, from fashion to banking, but consumers seem to be expecting tailored experiences from retailers and other merchants. A recent IBM study revealed nearly half of consumers wanted retailers to offer them personalized, on-demand promotions when shopping online, and 45 percent of shoppers desired such service during in-store visits.
Picture this: Bots scanning social media come across scores of consumers posting images of wooden shoes, which are available readily in Europe but not abundant in the U.S. Amazon AI technology identifies the trend across various sites, including Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook, then creates a new wooden shoe design for sale on Amazon.
Because the Amazon bots have already determined the best day, month and time to launch shoes, the debut is timed perfectly and the wooden shoes become the hottest ticket of the year, all thanks to early identification of the trend by AI technology and unique positioning of the shoe during the optimal time and day.
Although this scenario is simply fictional, it could be a look at what’s actually ahead if firms like Amazon are able to perfect their AI technology and use it to develop fashionable products.
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