BoF VOICES 2024: The Next Phase of Generative AI

Can artificial intelligence be a force for good?

It’s complicated. But it’s this question that some of fashion’s most promising innovators and tech pioneers tackled in the third session of BoF VOICES 2024 Wednesday. Speakers addressed the ethical risks of AI applications in a field fuelled by art and creativity, as well as its groundbreaking potential.

The answer to that opening question may not be a resounding yes, but with abundant guardrails and a use case that enhances creativity rather than eschewing it, industry insiders all agree that generative AI has the potential to revolutionise how businesses operate and ultimately how consumers shop.

“Everyone’s going to be using it, and in order to survive, you need to be versed in the technology,” said Stephanie Horton, Google’s senior director of global consumer marketing and strategy for commerce. “It’s not about replacing the creative process, it’s about how to be additive and how to be efficient.”

Benevolent AI

Three years ago, AI startup Metaphysic introduced itself to the world by releasing 10 videos portraying a fake but convincing Tom Cruise on TikTok.

The series immediately went viral, garnering millions of views, but not without stirring up fiery debate over the ethics of deepfakes, or hyper-realistic videos that swap famous faces onto imposters’ bodies.

But since then, Metaphysic’s defining mission has been using the technology with the explicit permission of actors and featured talent, in collaboration with artists, musicians and filmmakers to create content that CGI or other tools simply cannot. Most recently, Metaphysic was used in the production of the movie “Here,” in which actors Tom Hanks and Robin Wright are digitally de-aged to portray a love story that spans nearly a century.

“This kind of realism blends into reality … and you can’t get there through traditional CGI,” said Tom Graham, chief executive of Metaphysic. “What used to take hours and hours to render per frame for 3D models, we’re doing live in real time.”

At the same time, Graham is conscious of the risks of exploitation. “We have to focus on the idea that no one should be able to create a realistic version of someone’s likeness without that person’s direct consent and continuous consent,” he told Dazed Media co-founder Jefferson Hack. “This is not necessarily the stance of many tech companies trying to push the limits.”

In the same way that generative AI will transform the movie industry, it will have the same jolting impact on retail. A major issue that brands and retailers grapple with today is the paralysing effects of the internet’s endless aisle. In a survey conducted as part of BoF’s State of Fashion 2025 report, 74 percent of consumer respondents said they walk away from online purchases due to the sheer volume of choice. Even more claimed the search process itself is a barrier to purchase.

“The problem is information overload,” said fashion e-commerce veteran Julie Bornstein. “You have 20 pages for results and you feel like you need to keep on browsing because you think the perfect product might be on the next page.”

Enter Daydream, a new shopping chatbot that Bornstein, a former executive at Nordstrom and Stitch Fix, unveiled on the VOICES stage Wednesday. Just like ChatGPT or Microsoft’s Copilot, users can pose shopping related inquiries such as “where can I find a grey winter coat?” and receive a series of answers based on continued customisation. The results include photos that link to product pages, as well as each item’s price; the shopper can select a photo and choose to see similar options. The more time spent on the platform, the more personalised its solutions. Users can also search via image.

Both Daydream and Google employ the latest advancements in generative AI to power search capabilities. The latter relaunched Google Shopping last week with a tool that allows users to narrow the search by prompting additional questions as part of the results.

“At the start of this century, the internet unearthed this new way of shopping, and I really believe that what’s happening with gen-AI will be the next wave,” Bornstein said.

Sustainable Solutions

Artificial Intelligence can be the answer to another existential threat to fashion: waste.

“Brands often produce more than they can sell, resulting in wasted resources and financial losses,” BoF founder and chief executive Imran Amed said. “The traditional supply chain is slow and inflexible, making it difficult to respond to changing trends. And perhaps most importantly, there is environmental impact. Overproduction contributes to pollution, textile waste, and unsustainable practices.”

Resonance Companies is an AI-powered startup that allows designers to sell their wares without owning inventory, providing on-demand manufacturing at scale. Its technology is able to drastically reduce waste by creating highly efficient patterns with minimal white space, which results in less fabric scraps.

This way of production is not only sustainable but more profitable for companies, said co-founder Lawrence Lenihan. “We make everything on demand. It’s a simple, easy solution” — one that still requires a designer to create the pattern.

This process at scale has the potential to equalise the playing field for retailers large and small, Lenihan added. “What will be the difference then? Talent.”

Back to the Simple Truths

AI isn’t the only tool for positive change. Some new technologies highlight techniques and methods that humans have practised for millennia, from patching up a torn pant to listening to music as a means for relief.

Josephine Phillips is the founder of Sojo, a tailoring service that allows brands to offer their customers repairs and alterations, such as hemming trousers, patching a sweater or replacing a button. Garments are shipped to Sojo’s studio in London, where it employs a team of tailors, and progress on each piece can be tracked by the consumer as well as the brands working with Sojo.

“If your goal is to lower return rates, you can offer free alterations. Or if you’re looking to increase perks for loyalty, offer free repairs,” Phillips said.

Beyond driving sales, Sojo can help brands understand the fit issues and longevity of their products, she added. It can be a tool to improve size accuracy.

“A widespread culture of caring for our clothes is possible,” Phillips said. “But caring for our clothes is not our cultural norm, and looking after what we own is not how we’ve been taught to think.”

In the final presentation of VOICES’ third session, multimedia artist Rosey Chan and Dr. Tamsin Lewis unpacked recent scientific discoveries about the healing powers of music.

“We listen to music when we feel a certain way,” said Lewis. “Melancholia is an overwhelm of sadness and grief, and what we know is that from listening to this type of music, it intensifies those feelings and you’re enhancing the processing of that emotion. It’s a form of catharsis.”

A single tune can have profound physiological effects on the body, she added, and Chan demonstrated this phenomenon live with a musical performance that served as the concluding note of the afternoon’s overall message of hope and responsible optimism on stage.