Artificial Intelligence is among us, and it’s having a massive impact on our lives. It is already transforming many industries, including fashion, from design and production to marketing and sales. Its use is rapidly growing, providing numerous opportunities for businesses and consumers alike.
Can you imagine the late Audrey Hepburn as captured by contemporary fashion photographer Tim Walker? Midjourney is ready to give you a visual answer. This tool generates images based on your text prompts thanks to the power of AI and machine learning
We discussed its implications during the 2023 edition of Istituto Marangoni’s “Front Row – Fashion AI-dentity” dedicated to New Technologies in a panel moderated by Fashion Business Program Leader Simona Ironico in the San Babila School of Fashion. Francesco Bernabei joined the conversation as a speaker, bringing to the table his experience as CEO of Monogrid, a creative production company specialising in creative coding and the development of innovative, interactive projects using technology to tell stories and create immersive experiences. Andrea Lorini also came on board, thanks to his impressive career that now has him Head of Collabs & Partnerships and Head of NFTs, Metaverse & Gaming at Luxottica. The event discussed how artificial intelligence encompasses a range of new tools to impact the creative process.
The 2023 edition of Istituto Marangoni’s “Front Row – Fashion AI-dentity” featured a panel with Monogrid’s Francesco Bernabei and Andrea Lorini, a Web3, metaverse and gaming pro
Is AI a threat to or a booster of creativity?
The students’ scared faces were evident inside the school’s huge open-plan space when the word “Artificial Intelligence” was pronounced followed by “Creativity”. People seemed to breathe again when the experts reassured the audience that AI aims to improve and support the artistic process instead of replacing it.
Andrea Lorini offered a positive perspective by starting with a negative one. By reminding the audience of the viral “AI Last Selfie” image created by Artificial Intelligence: when asked how “the last selfie on earth” would look like, he highlighted that “AI just showcases what they learned from human beings; they just take the pessimist perspective of the society we are living it”.
What if the iconic shot of Dovima with the Elephants had not been taken by Richard Avedon but by David LaChapelle with his hyper-real and slyly subversive style imbued with a kitschy pop surrealism? MidJourney believes this to be the outcome
The experts explained how the Generative Artificial Intelligence tools like Midjourney or Dall-E could support the making of creative mood boards to achieve incredible and unpredictable results starting from the text-to-image input as a result of connections of its neural net, merging elements belonging to different assets to give birth to an entirely new output.
Creative intelligence gets hybrid
This new disruptive technology is born to be a collaboration between two parts, humans and bots: “Machines are learning our language, but, in the meantime, we have to learn how to interact with them to enhance synergy”, said Andrea Lorini.
Lorini also explained how AI could support photographers in creating mock-ups. AI algorithms can analyse images and generate a 3D model based on the image’s content. This model can then be used to create a mock-up of how the image would look in a particular setting or environment, allowing photographers or designers to visualise how the product would appear in different contexts and be more accurate with their clients.
We also asked MidJourney to imagine a shot of Michelle Obama by Helmut Newton. Here you go!
Chatting with human-like bots
Another industry that can benefit from AI is customer service. AI can significantly improve it by providing personalised and efficient assistance to customers. For example, AI-powered chatbots can be used to provide 24/7 customer support. Chatbots can quickly answer frequently asked questions, provide solutions to common problems, and assist customers with placing orders, tracking deliveries, and resolving issues. Overall, it can significantly enhance the customer experience by providing personalised and efficient support, reducing response time and improving customer satisfaction.
From left to right, Francesco Bernabei, CEO of Monogrid, and Andrea Lorini, Head of Collabs & Partnerships and Head of NFTs, Metaverse & Gaming at Luxottica, at Istituto Marangoni Milano
However, for AI to be efficient within a company’s ecosystem, it’s important to ensure interoperability, as Francesco Bernabei clarified. In practical terms, the company’s technology infrastructure should be designed to allow AI systems to integrate and communicate with it easily.
For example, if a company wants to implement an AI-powered customer service chatbot, the chatbot should be able to access the customer information stored in the company’s database. In turn, the company’s database should be able to receive and store data generated by the chatbot.
Students attending the 2023 edition of Istituto Marangoni’s “Front Row – Fashion AI-dentity” dedicated to New Technologies in the San Babila School of Fashion
This requires high interoperability between the chatbot and the company’s systems. Interoperability is essential because it allows companies to fully leverage the benefits of technologies without disrupting their existing systems and processes. Once they work seamlessly with AI, companies can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance their overall services.
