Snapchat's new augmented reality (AR) features allow real-fit try-on from major fashion brands Throughout the pandemic, virtual try-on has offered a sweet sense of relief to fashion and beauty brands unable to demo their products offline. From seeing how a new pair of sunglasses might look on your face to testing new lipstick shades out in anticipation of a mask-free future, these AR- and AI-enabled experiences have brought a small part of the traditional retail experiences to lockdown. Even retailers like Wayfair and IKEA rolled out 3D and augmented reality furniture visualization tools so shoppers could'try before they buy'. Only, they haven't all been brilliant--particularly where fashion is concerned. In'real life', dressing rooms are the heart of shopping experiences.

Finding a bra that fits perfectly is a complicated task. Sizing varies wildly by brand and measurement systems aren't the same in every country. Even if you do know your band and cup size (both of which requires you to take several different measurements and do a bit of math), breasts come in all sorts of shapes and sizes that aren't easily worked out by those measurements alone. The easiest way around this is to get a professional fitting in a physical store, but that's not always feasible for a lot of people. Wacoal, one of the country's largest intimate apparel brands, has come up with another solution: an AI-powered app that scans your body and then recommends, hopefully, a perfect bra.

Over the next few years, artificial intelligence will reshape our homes, workplaces, and society at large, touching virtually every aspect of how we work and live. And yet, according to the World Economic Forum's 2020 Global Gender Gap Report, just 26% of professionals in this flourishing field are women. At IBM -- where our Watson technology is helping companies unlock the value of their data in entirely new, profound ways -- we believe that growing the percentage of women in the field is crucial to developing high-quality, unbiased AI. According to the recent IBM Global Women in AI Study conducted by Morning Consult, the vast majority of AI professionals believe the field has become more diverse over the past few years, and that this change is having a positive impact on AI technology. Among those who respond that the field has not become more diverse, 74% believe that it must, if the industry is to achieve its potential.