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Business Insider
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
We used ChatGPT as a stylist, and it generated custom lookbooks and color palettes. Human stylists had some thoughts.
Artificial intelligence may be coming for some jobs, but personal stylists can rest easy — for now. Users of OpenAI 's ChatGPT and others from competitors like Anthropic and Google are perpetually trying to find unique use cases to leverage its expansive knowledge in every aspect of their lives, from professional development to improving their dating game. However, for two reporters, there is still one subject they'd rather leave to humans: Fashion advice. Two Business Insider reporters uploaded their photos to ChatGPT and asked the bot to act as their virtual stylist, suggesting color palettes and a series of outfits to appear polished even in casual settings. One reporter asked ChatGPT to suggest outfits to take her from walking the dogs and running errands to going out and reporting in the field. The other requested outfit suggestions for a journalist living in Los Angeles that could take her from work events to dinner at a trendy restaurant. Three human stylists then reviewed the results. Man versus machine, fashion edition Human stylists were split about whether the bot was useful, with one calling it akin to a "StitchFix" box. That's not to say there was anything technically wrong with the outfits ChatGPT recommended; they were just, well, a bit boring for the reporters' tastes. "Let me start by saying I was pretty impressed by the overall results," Charline Zeroual, a sustainable wardrobe stylist, told Business Insider, adding that "the color palette seems to be right." Zeroual said the suggestions were missing "soul." No patterns or prints, no standout accessories, and the outfit suggestions didn't take the weather or typical professional norms into account — a lawyer is expected to dress differently than a writer, for example. ChatGPT didn't seem to make the distinction. "Your style is 80% basics and good foundation, but 20% you need some essence," Zeroual said. "You need the signature. You need something specific to you that is going to make your style personal." Amanda Massi, a luxury personal stylist based in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and St. Louis-based stylist Dacy Gillespie, both agreed. "It's too generic," Massi told Business Insider. "Even when you upload a photo, like you did yourself, you're going to get pretty Pinterest-y, cookie-cutter results that aren't really speaking to your true lifestyle or your authentic message." "I'm not worried for my job," Gillespie said. ChatGPT was able to create custom style lookbooks and recommend color palettes based on photos we uploaded of ourselves, both of which could be useful if someone has no idea where to start when it comes to building a wardrobe or developing personal style. However, despite our attempts to describe our style in detail, the lookbook was nowhere close to matching it. When given feedback and asked to try again, ChatGPT's lookbook did improve, but it was still way too basic to inspire any new looks. ChatGPT as a personal shopper We also tried using ChatGPT as a personal shopper by telling it a specific item we were looking for, and it fared decently, but not great. With one prompt, we described a specific style of brown moto boots we were looking for, and we were pleasantly surprised to see that its very first recommendation was pretty decent. But it was also the exact same top result that we got on Google with a shorter search term than the prompt we had to give ChatGPT — and the other Google results were actually more in line with our description than the others the AI recommended. Other recommendations made by ChatGPT sent us to broken links, or pages that contained entirely different articles of clothing than the bot was trying to offer up. In one instance, a link provided by ChatGPT that was supposed to take you to a site to purchase a pair of olive green utility trousers instead presented the page of a pink bikini. Massi took a look at the recommendations ChatGPT gave and said she also wasn't impressed with where it was sourcing its picks, noting that it didn't source any higher-quality or independent labels that a human stylist would find for you. While, in theory, you could communicate your preferences and refine its results repeatedly with ChatGPT, she said, getting it to really know your style could be a challenge. "Everyone's creative language is so different, and it's something that sometimes can't be tangible. You can't really grasp it," she said. "To communicate your creative language to a computer program, I think it's very difficult to do accurately." Massi said in her work, the first thing she does is physically visit a client's closet, so she can get a full and in-depth sense of what they already like to wear and already own. It also allows her to pick up on nonverbal cues that signal who the client is, what they're comfortable, and what they won't be comfortable in. Though the stylists who spoke to Business Insider do not think AI is there quite yet, they agreed it's a promising start and could be helpful for someone just beginning to think seriously about their personal style. Massi said she is excited about the future possibilities. One interesting use case could be maintaining a digital closet where all the items of your wardrobe are stored. Then, generative AI can be used to put together new outfits with items you already have. But she said there's still a ways to go before we get a "Clueless"-level smart closet. "I found it's helpful for putting something in and then just seeing it spit something back at you to get your own brain started," Gillespie said. "It's not necessarily that you're going to do what ChatGPT does, but it can act as a starting point."
Ya Biladi
13-03-2025
- Health
- Ya Biladi
Moroccan doctor reveals dire state of healthcare system after Gaza humanitarian mission
After a six-week humanitarian mission in the Gaza Strip, Dr. Ahmed Zeroual has returned to Morocco. As a member of the Moroccan Coordination of Doctors for Palestine, Dr. Zeroual joined a volunteer initiative that allowed him to reach the region at the start of the truce, with help from the World Health Organization (WHO). «I have been back from Gaza for almost a week. I provided medical services by working jointly with my Palestinian colleagues to handle various cases, both those directly related to the war and those who had been unable to access medical care since the war began», he told Yabiladi. Speaking to Yabiladi on Wednesday, Dr. Ahmed Zeroual, who works at the Hassan II Regional Hospital Center in Agadir, detailed the various cases that required immediate care in Gaza: war-related injuries (fractures and facial injuries), complications from these injuries, aggravated cancers due to lack of access to care since October 7, 2023, cosmetic surgeries for congenital malformations (including cleft lip and palate), as well as osteosyntheses and treatment of infections from the placement of fixation implants during the war. In the northern part of Gaza, the doctor describes «vital needs». Like the rest of the Gaza Strip, medical resources—both human and material—are scarce after nearly two years of occupation and war led by Israel, during which the health system was crippled. Since October 7, 2023, at least 48,515 people have been killed and over 111,900 injured, according to updated figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Hospitals and medical personnel have been among the first targets. Dr. Ahmed Zeroual's figures state that «more than 1,000 health professionals have been killed, including many doctors, since the war began; between 400 and 600 have been detained». «Some have been released, and I met a few during my humanitarian mission», he says. However, hospital directors «remain incarcerated, some since the start of the war». «We remain hopeful that the hospital directors will be released. Their presence among their population is vital, and they are on the front line. We reiterate our calls to the occupying forces to release them. Everyone testifies that they were arrested unarmed, without engaging in armed resistance. As practitioners, we have a mission and an oath to honor, which includes the responsibility to remain with our dying patients when ordered by an occupier to leave a hospital facility». Dr. Ahmed Zeroual In the northern region, the Moroccan doctor and one of his Palestinian colleagues were the only two maxillofacial surgery specialists serving a population of 700,000 people. «Throughout the strip, one surgeon of my specialty is now the only one operating in the northern area, and another in the southern area», he emphasizes. «Complete Destruction in the Gaza Strip» On the ground, Dr. Zeroual worked with Palestinian teams from the Baptist Hospital Al-Maamadani and Shifa Hospital in Gaza. «I was mainly mobilized at the former and operated once a week at the latter, alternating or working in tandem with my on-site surgeon colleague and the Palestinian medical teams», he recalls, describing a situation far worse than the images that reach us through television or social media. «It's general destruction across the entire strip, with entire neighborhoods razed», he says. «The Shifa hospital complex, which until now was the largest in all of Palestine, a landmark in medicine, is so badly damaged that engineers recommend razing what remains of it», laments Dr. Zeroual. He points out that before this destruction, the facility served as a large university hospital center, with 25 surgery rooms. «Part of it remains for consultations and minor surgeries, but all the specialty blocks have been leveled and are impossible to repair, further complicating patient care», he confides. For now, the Al-Ahli Arabi Hospital (Al-Maamadani) remains «a backbone for the health system in the northern region, despite its small size», says the doctor, mentioning four operating rooms and one for urgent cases and infections. Six medical specialties alternate in this space, which is extremely limited in medical equipment and supplies. «In this case, we've reached the limits of handling complex cases in the Gaza Strip. Interventions requiring special technical platforms, for surgeries lasting 10 to 12 hours, must be carried out in university hospitals and external structures. We've issued referral letters so patients can receive care outside the strip». Dr. Ahmed Zeroual Effects of the War After the Truce Dr. Zeroual also recalls the painful sight of cemeteries at hospitals. «It was only after the ceasefire that several families were able to go to the outskirts of hospitals to bury the bodies of their relatives killed in the war and hold dignified funerals», he tells us. Despite the withdrawal of the Israeli army from inside the strip, soldiers remain stationed 700 meters away, on the outskirts. «Since the official announcement of the ceasefire, more than 120 people have been killed, and we've handled cases of the injured», Dr. Zeroual adds, still haunted by «extracting bullets from children». «Handling cancers that require surgery remains a great challenge. We operated successfully on patients, especially young ones, but these treatments require chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which are currently unavailable in the Gaza Strip. It pained us to see these constraints cause relapses. We were particularly struck by the case of a 35-year-old patient». Dr. Ahmed Zeroual From Gaza, the doctor particularly remembers «the dignity of the Palestinian population despite their suffering and being left to their own devices». «I saw people living through a horrific war, having lost their possessions, their children, their loved ones, or their parents, yet they continue to love life, maintaining great clarity», says Dr. Zeroual. «Every house has at least one martyr, but all families cling to life and maintain an astonishing sense of organization and daily discipline. This should make us question our individual priorities and how we approach the challenges we face», he reflects. Necessary Medical Support from States on the Ground Everything in the region still needs to be rebuilt. «Organizations and individuals can take initiatives and act in solidarity with the Palestinian population, but the situation in Gaza and the extent of the destruction caused by the war require solidarity between states and support from countries, through initiatives that could allow residents to regain a stable life», stresses Dr. Zeroual. He recalls that, «In light of the destruction of the health system, setting up field hospitals in Gaza is essential, and it is the states that can do this». To this end, Dr. Zeroual notes that the Coordination of Doctors for Palestine sent a letter to the Moroccan Ministry of Health and Social Protection, which remains unanswered. «We then made three official reminders of our correspondence to the ministry, particularly urging Morocco to initiate the installation of a field hospital. Medical missions could then be sent to address the lack of human resources on the ground and support the few doctors who have worked tirelessly since the start of the war. This would also allow access to medical supplies and equipment in greater quantities», the Moroccan doctor added. «We always support the Palestinian cause, and Morocco is known for its history of humanitarian interventions in conflict zones. Our wish is for this tradition to continue and for us to also put it at the service of the Palestinian population», Dr. Zeroual concluded.
