Amelia Cropley
Artificial Intelligence is quickly replacing lots of human skills every day. But we, as humans, can still have the mundane everyday activities to ourselves, without them being taken over by technology doing it for us. But, is this really the case? Would it be easier if we let AI do some simple tasks for us to help us out from time-to-time? Impact’s Amelia Cropley is debating if she should let AI pick her “outfit of the day”.
Yesterday, like most days, I slept through my alarm. Then my second to another ring-tone, and then the following five. When I finally decided to wake up, it was half an hour past the time I’d planned to get out of bed the previous night and had to leave the house hoping and praying I wouldn’t have to bump into too many people.
We all know that feeling, right? The 9am seminar you can’t miss and but equally can’t be bothered to get out of bed for. The three hours of sleep you had after CRISIS and still thinking you can get to campus before your lecture begins. Sometimes we just need our sleep, and sometimes that comes at the cost of looking at my wardrobe for less time before I leave the house in a much-anticipated hurry.
And so I am on campus, in my lecture, or grabbing a coffee sporting yesterday’s pair of jeans (they were on my chair), un-straightened hair, and a top that was quick to put on (but suddenly hyperthermia-inducing). Alas, someone walks past me looking like their personal designer picked out their Monday on-campus, smart yet casual, outfit of the day two weeks in advance.
For as long as I remember, picking out an outfit has been all I’ve ever done – there has been no alternative where some bot or algorithm can pick my clothes out for me. I’ll admit whilst there was something so satisfying and envious in watching Cher from Clueless get her iconic outfits selected from her wardrobe-connected-computer, maybe it’s more human and in touch to enjoy simply browsing my colourful (mostly neutral) wardrobe for the day ahead. This of course assuming I am not in a rush like usual.
So that leads me to my question: Should I let AI choose my outfit of the day? Should you? 
AI, very scarily and dystopian-like, is claiming more and more functions like it’s defeating us in a game of battleship. Artificial v human intelligence 1:0. AI is taking away the creativity of artists by producing something instantaneously, it is who I speak to when I need health care assistance, and when I ask Siri how to spell something. All these things continue in the debate of whether we should be using AI, and in doing so, declining our human capabilities of jobs we need.
I’m not an advocate for speaking to a robot when I phone the doctors, but AI is here, on our phones and everywhere. So maybe, instead of using it seriously, we use it for fun?
Going back to when I slept through all my alarms and getting ready in such a panic that I would miss the hopper bus to campus, I am not thinking about checking my weather app and scrolling through every hour’s temperature – I simply have other priorities like concealing over a spot I have. So, wouldn’t “Hey Siri” or “Alexa” or “Hey Google, what should I wear today?” be so much easier?
And so I tried it. I’m staring into my wardrobe and it is either one of two things: the first being I am spoilt for choice with all my clothes, and as an indecisive person I do not need to have this much choice. Or, the second and most common, where I have about two options that are not falling out of my washing basket, and neither are looking particularly appealing to me.
I WAS NOTIFIED IT WOULD MOSTLY BE SUNNY WITH THE HIGHEST AND LOWEST TEMPERATURES, AND I MOSTLY APPRECIATED BEING ADVISED TO WEAR LAYERS TO STAY WARM AND COMFORTABLE.
First I tried Chat GPT, which asked me where I was and what my activity for the day was. I told Chat (we are on a first-name basis) I was in Nottingham and going to campus. That pretty much sums up my life as a student.
I was notified it would mostly be sunny with the highest and lowest temperatures, and I mostly appreciated being advised to wear layers to stay warm and comfortable.
“For university, a smart-casual outfit would be appropriate. Consider wearing a long-sleeve shirt or blouse paired with smart trousers or a skirt. Since temperatures are expected to be cold, layering with a warm jacket or coat is recommended.”
I can’t exactly say we are becoming fast friends, or that I know much about this mysterious being inside my phone, but that answer – whilst pretty generic – was very helpful in picking my OOTD!
Quirky shout out: it told me to wear comfortable shoes for the amount of walking and hills I would have to endure on University Park Campus. This, I sensibly listened to. 
But never mind being late or perhaps just being a little lazy — have you ever arrived at a function where you absolutely did not check the dress code? Embarrassing, right? Maybe you need to type into AI what’s expected and it teach you in the privacy of your own company, how you are expected to dress rather than publicly shaming your inability to follow simple instructions.
Or maybe you don’t like clothes, you hate shopping and looking into your wardrobe with impending gloom about what you have to put on and sit in for the entire day. In that case, I would recommend Siri, Alexa or Chat GPT (the choice of who is yours). That way, if it says jeans you can pull out a random pair, and if it says hoodie, you can stick that on too without having to think too much about it.
WHEN IT COMES TO LEAVING THE HOUSE – HAVING TO THINK ABOUT WHAT TO WEAR IS SOMETHING OMINOUS AND DREADED.
In The Guardian writer Chloë Hamilton’s case, she explains being post-partum with her second child and not having the time or thought of what to wear. With a three-year-old and a six-month-old, she dresses without paying attention to the clothes on her body, so when it comes to leaving the house – having to think about what to wear is something ominous and dreaded.
“What I really want, I realise, as I stand naked and panicked in front of the mirror – clock ticking – is a personal stylist; someone to sift through my clothes and tell me what to wear for the nursery drop-off or a night out.”
So, she downloaded a virtual wardrobe – apps like Whering, Indyx and Combyne being a few of many – and got that personal stylist she has been wanting. For me and my lack of iPhone storage, I think I’ll stick with Google AI or my loyal friend Alexa – but here it is, something to tell us to wear when we don’t have the time or energy to think about it.
Finally… should AI pick out our outfits and style us? Or by this are we feeding into a robotic-like simulation that gives me the heebie-jeebies? I suppose the choice is yours. But whilst AI is on the rise and playing that game of battleships, we might as well exercise it for some fun and games that will save us time in the morning (and hopefully an extra five minutes of sleep).
Amelia Cropley
Feature image courtesy of Burgess Milner on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of Oleg Ivanov on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of Mark Grant on Unsplash. Image licence found here. No changes were made to this image.
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