Google Will Now Let You Virtually Try on Clothes Just by Taking a Selfie.
The pace of AI advancements is so rapid that it’s hard to keep up. At the Google I/O conference in May, Google unveiled an AI-powered virtual clothing try-on feature. All you had to do was upload a full-length photo of yourself, and Google’s AI would dress you in any item you liked. I still can’t decide whether this feature sounds useful, creepy, or both.
Google’s virtual try-on feature only requires a selfie.
However, I can tell you this feature is getting a little scarier. On Thursday, Google announced an update to its virtual try-on feature, which uses a new AI-powered image processing model called Nano Banana . Now you don’t need a full-body photo; a selfie will do. With just a photo of your face, Nano Banana will create a full-body avatar that resembles you, which you can use to virtually try on clothes.
I’m not entirely sure who exactly this update is for: perhaps there are people who want to use the virtual try-on feature but don’t have a full-body photo to share. Personally, I wouldn’t want to send Google a photo of myself—selfie or otherwise—but I don’t think I’d prefer Google to determine my appearance based solely on a photo of my face. I’d rather just send them the full photo so they have at least some basis for analysis.
Here’s another problem: while Google asks you to upload only your own photos, it doesn’t stop you if you upload someone else’s photo. This is just creepy: you can upload someone else’s selfie and see what they look like in different clothes. There’s a system in place that blocks certain selfies, such as those of celebrities, children, or other “unsafe” images, but if the system fails, this feature could be abused. I imagine Google could get around this by verifying selfies against your Google account, since you still need to sign in to use this feature.
How to upload a selfie to Google’s virtual try-on feature
If you’d like to try this feature—and, by extension, try on virtual clothes using your AI-generated avatar—you can go to Google’s Try-On page , sign in to your Google account, and upload your selfie. Once processed, you’ll choose one of four avatars, each wearing a different outfit, to continue. You’ll then be able to virtually try on any clothes you see in your feed.
Again, I can see the potential benefit of a feature that allows you to see how you’ll look in a particular item before you buy it. But at the same time, I think I’d prefer to simply order the item and try it on in the comfort (and privacy) of my own home.