AI is here, and the most panicked ones are Taobao models

After GPT4 became popular, AI became a hot word on the Internet. Some people even faced unemployment because of it. Taobao models seemed to be one of them.

Pang found that many online shop owners welcomed the emergence of AI models, because it not only saves money but also improves efficiency. However, the current AI models have many imperfections.

On the other hand, the application of AI models has also brought considerable pressure to professionals such as photographers and makeup artists. However, some people believe that AI's creativity is a shortcoming and it is impossible to completely replace real people.

The application of AI technology has also brought about new creations. Stable Diffusion, Novel AI, and Midjourney are all tools. Using pure text descriptions, text plus pictures, and pictures plus pictures, different AI models can be created by people.

However, many consumers are not convinced by the use of AI models because of the unrealistic pictures, which can easily lead people into traps, problems with AI aesthetics, and the risk of privacy leaks.

In the future, more and more jobs may be replaced by AI, and many people are pondering how to take advantage of AI.

Using AI models can save 40,000 to 50,000 yuan

Recently, someone posted a post online comparing AI models with plaster models and real-life models. Judging from the generation effect, AI models are already very close to real people.

In this regard, one netizen said: "It seems that this year we don't need to spend 40,000 or 50,000 a day to hire photographers and models to shoot clothes. AI models are enough for us."

Another netizen said: "AI models don't need to beat the time, don't need to wait for big names, don't need makeup, photography teams, or wait for the weather. They can produce 8,000 retouched photos in an hour. Even if 99.99% of them are waste, it's profitable to produce one."

In this regard, Yueren, the owner of a lingerie store on Taobao, told Brother Pang: "I plan to use AI models to replace the previous model pictures. The main purpose is not just to save money, but more importantly to improve efficiency. If the new method works, I can update new products anytime and anywhere."

However, many netizens have questioned the emergence of AI models: Will the effect of using AI models to shoot clothing be really good?

Mr. Lin, the owner of an online shop, seems to be one of the first people to use AI models to take photos of clothing. He told Pang Ge: "(This technology) is still in the testing and iteration stage. The biggest drawback at present is the lighting and the details of the clothing material."

On the other hand, Xiao Jin, the creator of the AI ​​model, also told Brother Pang: "If AI models are used, the half-body picture will be better than the full-body picture, but if all stores use AI models, it will feel like there is only one model in the store."

At the same time, AI practitioner Durian told Brother Pang: "The current AI model images are generally big-breasted, big-buttock, and big-eyed. They are all Korean-style beauties and Internet celebrities. They are not particularly recognizable, but they are beautiful."

AI doesn’t just eliminate models

Brother Pan found that many online shop owners have started to buy AI models. There are generally two ways: one is to settle according to a single picture, and an AI model picture can cost tens of yuan or hundreds of yuan; the other is IP package customization. A seller on Xianyu said: "599 yuan for a set of IPs, the model's face is the same person, which is equivalent to about 30 yuan per picture."

As for how store owners need to cooperate after purchasing AI models, Xiao Jin told Brother Pang: "You need to put the clothes on the mannequin, or find a real person to wear the clothes without showing the face. The clothes should be photographed clearly and the lighting should be better. If the clothes are not worn on the body, you can also generate them directly, but the details may not be the same."

Online store owners are beginning to rush to use AI models. Will those real-life models feel under too much pressure?

Meng Ya, a fashion model in Shanghai, told Pang Ge: "AI may eliminate some real models, but I don't think it will be completely eliminated because virtual models are virtual bodies after all, and people are psychologically more inclined to real and tangible things."

On the other hand, the widespread use of AI models seems to have a significant impact on professions such as photographers and makeup artists.

In this regard, photographer Yi Ge told Pang Ge: "AI will definitely affect photography, and not just photography, painting has been affected, just like the popularity of photography and videography, and 3D graphics." As for the countermeasures, Yi Ge said: "I have also thought about replacing it, but I haven't figured out a solution yet."

On the other hand, Xiaoxuan, a netizen who loves photography, disagrees with this. She told Brother Pang: "AI can only imitate and learn, and present things that have already been thought of. But in fact, in many cases, photography is actually amazed by accidental beauty, and AI cannot give this sense of reality and surprise."

Create an AI image

The emergence of AI models has caused models, photographers, makeup artists, etc. to face the problem of unemployment; on the other hand, AI models have also brought new creative opportunities to many people.

Pang Ge learned that the AI ​​models on the market today are mainly generated by three applications: Stable Diffusion, Novel AI, and Midjourney. Taking Midjourney as an example, there are three main ways to generate an AI model picture:

First, it is the way to generate text descriptions. The creator describes the subject content, environmental background, composition lens, reference direction, and image settings of the required picture in the form of text, and then he can get an AI picture.

For example, if we need a half-body shot of a female model for street photography, with natural light and film style, we can send the text description: street style photo of a young woman, half body shot, natural lighting, soho, shot on Agfa Vista 200.

The second is the method of text description plus reference pictures, which is also the most common way to generate AI models.

To do this, we first upload a picture of clothing on Midjourney, then right-click to copy the picture address, and then enter a text description about the AI ​​model, so that the clothing can be successfully worn by the model.

The third method is to use reference pictures plus reference pictures. This method is the simplest but also the most error-prone.

To this end, the operator uploads two pictures separately, one is the clothing picture, and the background should be clean, and the other is the final effect picture. Then the two pictures are combined to produce the effect of wearing clothing.

At the same time, some netizens use Stable Diffusion to create AI models. By feeding them pictures of similar styles, the algorithm can create countless new pictures based on the original pictures.

In this regard, one netizen said: "Stable Diffusion is an open source program that can be deployed and run on a local computer, and the model can also be trained locally, so the advantage is that you don't have to worry about others stealing the pictures."

Will consumers buy into AI models?

The emergence of AI models has helped online shop owners save costs, put models and photographers at risk of unemployment, and made it possible for more creators to realize their imaginations. However, many consumers are not convinced by the application of AI models, mainly for three reasons:

First of all, some consumers believe that using AI models to display clothes increases the probability of online shopping failures.

In this regard, one netizen said: "The purpose of looking at model pictures is to see the style, color and the effect on the body. If the model pictures are made by AI, then I will sell the clothes to AI."

Another netizen said: "You don't know how it will look when you shop online, and now you use AI models to make sure the clothes produced by AI won't have any differences in style from the real thing? If you encounter such an online store, just avoid it. What's the difference between this and a scam?"

Secondly, the AI ​​model’s internet celebrity-style aesthetic offends some netizens.

A female netizen said: "Why do I feel that the expressions of women generated by AI are quite strange, and a little erotic? I personally think they have a stronger masculine tone."

Another netizen said: "All the female AI models are white, thin and young. I guess most of the female pictures in the current AI database are the products of male genitalia."

Finally, the emergence of AI models has caused some netizens to worry that their privacy will be violated.

In this regard, one netizen said: "Will the buyer show I posted online be used by the store owner to feed AI in the future?" Another netizen said: "The most promising field for AI is the industry that skirts the line, but I don't want to see a face that looks very similar to me when watching a movie."

It seems that in the fashion photography industry, facing the widespread use of AI models, real models still seem to have a fighting chance. However, when technology advances to the point where there is no difference between the two, when people can no longer tell the difference between the two, how should consumers choose?

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.