POV: Google continues its deployment of AI across its portfolio

Background  

Google has unveiled AI powered shopping features as it revamps online retail experience. A new virtual try-on tool allows users to preview clothes on different real-life models aiming to provide users with a more accurate representation of how a garment would look on various body types, skin tones and sizes. The announcement coincides with Google’s introduction of other AI offerings designed to assist brands and consumers. 

Details & Implications 

Virtual try-on for apparel uses generative AI to show users how clothes look on a wide range of real models. The technology takes into account various factors such as body shape, size, and movement to create a realistic representation of how the garment would appear in real life. Currently only users in the US will be able to “try on” women’s tops from brands like Anthropologie, Everlane and H&M. To access this feature shoppers can tap the ‘Try On’ badge in Search and select the model most representative of them. 

Another shopping feature announced by Google helps users to refine their product search. The new guided refinements use machine learning and new visual matching algorithms to refine inputs like colour, style and pattern. Options will be made available from a range of stores across the web. This advancement arrives during a period of growing popularity for virtual try-on technologies with Amazon experimenting in this space.  

Coinciding with the announcement of the virtual try-on feature, Google announced more AI tools in its suite of offerings to help advertisers. Earlier this week the company announced two AI powered features for advertisers designed to help place ads across its services. Demand Gen will use AI to place an advertiser’s photo and video across Gmail, YouTube feed and Shorts and another feature uses AI to maximise views of a brand’s video ads.  

Google has also announced Search Generative Experience (SGE) for travel and product search. When users ask questions about a place or destination Google Search information will be collected across the web but also relevant contextual information such as reviews, photos and business profiles, will be presented to the user. A similar set of contextually relevant information will be provided when using product search – such as product descriptions, reviews, ratings, prices and images.  Finally, Google Lens, Google’s image recognition technology, now allows users to search for skin conditions. Lens will be able to find visual matches based on pictures uploaded through the lens.  

Summary  

Google's new suite of shopping features and AI tools aim to enhance the retail experience, provide more accurate representations of products, and assist advertisers in reaching their goals. The amount of change being driven by AI being integrated into existing services is only expected to accelerate. 

Reuters | Google | Tech Crunch | Wired |  The Verge | Tech Crunch – Google Lens |Tech Crunch Travel Products