I made ChatGPT my fashion stylist — here’s what happened
For tastemakers like lifestyle influencer Rae Hersey — life is all a “bot” fashion.
So, while some have been prompting ChatGPT to write their college term papers, the NYC native challenged the popular AI tool to dress her for the day.
“I asked it to style me, step-by-step, in a young trendy outfit that a creator in her twenties would wear for a spring day in the city,” Hersey, a 27-year-old West Village resident, told The Post.
“I felt like it would be helpful to give ChatGPT some details about me — my age, where I live, what my personal style is — to express what I was looking for in the outfit.”
On her own, the brunette, who describes her everyday swag as a mix of “feminine and edgy,” would typically throw on a ruffly dress, a chunky sweater and a pair of platform Mary Jane heels.
But ChatGPT had other plans in mind — er, its microdata.
“I was shocked by some of the combinations it recommended,” said Hersey, who pulled items directly from her wardrobe for the fashion-meets-tech experiment.
“It told me to put on a plaid or patterned blazer, which is very far away from my personal style and not something I own, so I decided to do a neutral blazer instead,” she said. “Then it said to wear a chunky sweater under a blazer, which was something I’d never considered before — and even questioned while I was putting it on.
“But I was pleasantly surprised by the results,” said Hersey, who was inspired to wear the look at an event later that month. “It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone.”
Thousands of tech-curious fashionistas are tapping ChatGPT to serve as their virtual stylist under the TikTok hashtag #AIFashion, which has so far garnered more than 14.1 million views.
In one popular video, London streetwear enthusiast Aly Meghani, 26, enlisted the AI to conjure a “loud and eccentric” ensemble for an evening out at a bar.
Its suggestions included a “bold” graphic T-shirt or a colorful blouse with ruffles for a top, as well as a denim jacket or vibrant blazer as outerwear options. The bot also recommended a “statement” piece of jewelry, noting Meghani should not “be afraid to mix and match.”
Of the eclectic look he ended up with, Meghani said, “Shout out to ChatGPT — the [outfit] is a solid 6 or 7 out of 10.”
According to engagement analytics hub SimilarWeb, ChatGPT had 1.5 billion monthly users in both March and April, as interest surrounding the bot’s vast capabilities continues to skyrocket. Already industries such as healthcare, finance and media and entertainment are employing AI to carry out tasks once exclusively the reserve of humans. Last month even saw the debut of NYC’s first-ever AI Fashion Week, which showcased virtual looks using generative AI art programs such as Midjourney.
“The thought of ChatGPT taking over the [fashion industry] is scary,” fashion psychologist Dawnn Karen, an assistant professor of psychology at the Fashion Institute of Technology, told The Post. “But it would be very dangerous for us to fully outsource our personal styles to artificial intelligence.”
She noted that artificial intelligence lacks the abilities to “assess certain social and cultural cues” or “empathize or express emotion” — and even joked that it’s “the equivalent of psychopath.”
“It robs us of the ability to autonomously express ourselves through the clothes we wear.”
Indeed, some say that ChatGPT’s stylistic oeuvre is, well, basic at best.
Erika Dwyer, a 24-year-old fashion content creator from the West Village, told The Post she was less than impressed by the get-ups ChatGPT counseled her to wear on two separate occasions.
“I told it to dress me for a casual brunch in New York City as a 24-year-old woman,” she said. “It suggested a midi dress with a floral print, either a leather or denim jacket in case it got cold outside, and sandals.”
Days later, she asked ChatGPT to style her for a date night. It advised her to slip into a black, form-fitting midi dress with a plunging neckline or slit, and complement it with a bold clutch and a pair of nude heels to elongate her legs.
And while the bot’s tips fit the requests, Dwyer felt the looks were drab and uninspired.
“It gave me some standard options,” said Dwyer.
“But, ultimately, the ability to get dressed, and to truly stand out and be unique, will always come from the heart of a person.”
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