Beauty Meets Al

Al tools are revolutionising the way we experiment with makeup and skincare. From social media filters to chatbots, an increasing number of people are leaving their beauty routines in the hands of an algorithm.

- Melissa Chew

Known for her interesting social media feed that discusses aesthetic and beauty topics, Dr Rachel Ho of La Clinic recently posted a video of herself with a Tiktok ageing filter, making her look more than 30 years older.

“I thought it would be fun to share the video and explain the signs of ageing depicted by the filter. I took the opportunity to discuss lifestyle and skincare tips to delay these signs of ageing.

“The interesting thing I noticed was that compared to most other popular filters on Tiktok that made users look younger or more beautiful with makeup trends, this filter was a more realistic depiction of how one might look when older,” she says.

Has Dr Ho tested AI chatbots for skin related advice herself? “Yes, I have tested ChatGPT out in this respect, and I find that the quality of answers differs, depending on the type and complexity of the question you input,” she shares.

For the uninitiated, ChatGPT and similar chatbots use machine learning algorithms and huge amounts of data to generate text responses according to questions you input. ChatGPT is open about acknowledging that its data is sourced up to 2021, and that it is limited on newer research and information available after that year.

It is also worth noting that these chatbots produce different responses based on the specific context, phrasing, and quality of input provided by each user.

“When it comes to skincare advice, if the answers to simple or common questions available on the web are factual and accurate, then the answers provided by these chatbots are likely to be accurate too,” explains Dr Ho.