If you’re like me, you’d have watched the film I, Robot with Will Smith in 2004 (wow, yep; that long ago) filled with a small amount of fear about the AI revolution.
You’d have observed the robots initially doing what they were programmed to do before suddenly turning on their owners, doing whatever they pleased and creating general mayhem and chaos. But I say a small amount of fear because back in the early noughties, it felt like AI was something that was forever away. Surely we would have flying cars by the time everyone had robots in their homes, right?
But less than 20 years in, AI is a very real conversation. In fact, it’s not even a conversation any more – we are way past that point. In the apparel sector, we’re hearing that if you don’t embrace AI now, there’s a chance you’ll be left behind. Your company may even struggle to survive. It’s gotten very real, very fast.
AI is dominating conversations in almost every space you can think of. In the fashion sector, global brand names like M&S, NIKE, Next and H&M have applied the tech to some degree within their organisations.
According to research from GlobalData, the market will be worth $908.7bn by 2030.
But, as the film suggests, while there are so many positive takeaways from the implementation of AI – the speeding up of processes, effectiveness, efficiencies, sustainability savings – there are moral and ethical implications of harnessing the tech. Where to apply it so that it makes the biggest differences, needs to be carefully considered.
But just ahead of this, a study was published suggesting AI could identify the source of apparel waste and make fashion brands accountable for the end-of-life of their products.
Industry experts suggest the true value of AI can be realised if it is applied to areas of human-AI interaction, decision making and creation in clothing making, while brands can leverage the benefits of human-AI interaction in retail stores, decision making and creation.
Many retailers are using generative AI to create a personalised shopping experience and to support AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants since the more information acquired by the programme, the more its responses improve.
And while there are arguments for and against the implementation of the tech in the industry, one thing is certain: it can no longer be ignored or treated as a passing fad. It is absolutely here to stay.
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