The pace of AI technology is so fast that it’s hard to keep up with everything. At Google I/O in May, Google rolled out an AI-powered shopping feature that lets you virtually try on clothes you find online. All you had to do was upload a full-length photo of yourself, and Google’s AI would dress you in the item of clothing you liked. I still can’t decide if the feature seems useful, creepy, or a little of both.
Google’s Virtual Try-On Feature Only Needs a Selfie to Work
What I can say, though, is that the feature gets a little scarier. On Thursday, Google announced an update to its Virtual Try-On feature, which takes advantage of the company’s new AI image model, Nano Banana. Now you no longer need a full-length photo of yourself: just a selfie. With just a photo of your face, Nano Banana will generate a full avatar of you, which you can use to virtually try on your clothes.
I’m not sure who this particular update is for: maybe some of us want to use this virtual try-on feature, but don’t have a full photo of ourselves to share. Personally, I wouldn’t really want to send my photo to Google (selfie or otherwise), but I don’t think I’d rather Google infer what I look like from just a photo of my face. I’d rather just send him the full picture and give him something to work on.
Here’s the other problem: Although Google only asks you to upload images of yourself, it doesn’t stop you if you upload an image of someone else. Talk about scary: You can upload someone else’s selfie and see how they look in various clothes. There is a system in place to prevent you from uploading certain selfies, such as celebrities, children, or “dangerous” items, but if the system fails, this feature could be used maliciously. I feel like Google could get around this by verifying the selfie against your Google account, since you have to be signed in to use the feature anyway.
What do you think of it so far?
How to Upload a Selfie to Google’s Virtual Try-On Feature
If you want to try the feature and subsequently try on virtual clothes with your AI-generated avatar, you can go to Google’s trial feature, sign in to your Google account and upload your selfie. When processing, you choose one of four avatars, each dressed in a different hairstyle, to continue. Once finished, you can try on virtually any clothing you see in the feed.
Again, I see the potential utility of a feature that lets you see what you might look like in a certain item of clothing before you buy it. But, at the same time, I think I’d rather just order the item and try it in the comfort (and privacy) of my own home.
