This article was first published in the January 2016 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Algorithms are already helping us to decide what to watch and listen to. But style is more complicated. "Fashion is a gnarly domain," says Kieran O'Neill, CEO and co-founder of London-based startup Thread. "For one, all of the things you're going to recommend often expire within weeks."
Thread employs eight human personal stylists, who perform an initial consultation with each new client on sign-up. Its machine-learning algorithm then trawls through more than 31 million customer-submitted ratings, along with 3.7 trillion possible item combinations (each piece is tagged, to identify its characteristics) to recommend outfits. "Humans couldn't look through a million options to find the right thing," says O'Neill, 28. "But a computer can't look at your picture and understand what [clothes] would suit you."
O'Neill made his first startup exit at 19 and sold his previous venture, games studio Playfire, in 2012. He founded Thread the same year, he says, to help men who don't follow fashion to dress better.
One of its first customers was Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom; it now has 200,000, and in August secured an $8 million (£5.2m) funding round led by Balderton Capital and including DeepMind co-founders Demis Hassabis and Mustafa Suleyman.
So, how does the AI fare?
WIRED decided it was time to refine its standard garb of slim-fit jeans, grey Chuck Taylors and flannel shirts.
Thread's suggestion: slim-fit jeans, black Chuck Taylors and a white T-shirt. Hardly a style revolution -- but O'Neill says that's intentional, so as not to scare off new users. "Recommendations need to change over time," he says. Dedicated followers, your lives just got easier.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
