AI tools are increasingly being used as digital fashion stylists, with people turning to systems like ChatGPT for outfit advice and personalised style suggestions instead of traditional discovery through experimentation or human stylists. Social media is full of users prompting AI to analyse their wardrobes or help them decide what to wear, and many find these tools an easy shortcut to keeping up with fashion culture.
Major brands are now jumping into the space with dedicated AI styling features. For example, Ralph Lauren has launched Ask Ralph, a conversational AI assistant built on Microsoft Azure that interacts with users like a personal stylist — interpreting natural language questions and providing complete, shoppable outfit recommendations from its available inventory. Retailers like ASOS are also using AI to deliver personalised suggestions drawn from multi-brand catalogues, while fashion tech companies such as DRESSX are developing large AI-powered try-on and shopping platforms that combine styling, virtual fitting, and browsing.
However, the article warns that the effortless, algorithm-driven approach may come at a cultural cost. When everyone and every brand relies on similar AI models trained on the same data, style risks becoming formulaic and homogenised — with “cookie-cutter” recommendations replacing the spontaneous creativity, personal expression, and risk-taking that drive fashion subcultures. Critics argue that style traditionally emerged from personal experimentation and even “fashion mistakes,” but AI’s focus on safe, predictable suggestions could diminish those individual journeys.
Despite these concerns, proponents like stylist Jeanna Krichel believe AI is simply another tool to navigate fashion, not a replacement for human creativity. She suggests that users can “surf the wave” of AI innovation while maintaining their unique identity, and emphasises that true connection in style comes from history, emotion, and personal experience, something machines can’t replicate. Overall, the rise of AI stylists raises an important choice: embrace convenience or preserve the deeply human side of fashion.
