ChatGPT can now show you in an outfit before you buy. It can't tell you if it fits

What happened

ChatGPT, the AI chat app from OpenAI, can now show you what clothes might look like on you. When it suggests clothes or accessories while you shop, a "Try on" button appears. Tap it and take or upload a selfie or full-body photo. ChatGPT then makes a picture of you wearing the item. You can also upload a screenshot of something you saw online. It began rolling out worldwide on October 1, on phones and the web.

What's actually going on

This isn't a camera trick, and nothing is being measured. ChatGPT is drawing a brand-new picture.

The tool behind it is an image generator. It learned from a huge number of pictures what clothes, bodies and light usually look like. Give it your photo and a photo of a jacket, and it paints a believable picture of you in that jacket. OpenAI says its newest version makes the light look more natural and the fabric look richer.

That's why it's good at one question and bad at another. It can show you roughly how a color or style might look on you. It can't tell you how the jacket fits, because it never sees the jacket's real cut or your real measurements. It only sees two pictures. Think of a skilled sketch artist who has never met your tailor.

OpenAI says this itself. The images "might not accurately represent the product or your appearance," and they can't tell you whether a size will fit.

In your life

Good for "would this color work on me?" Not good for "will this fit?" Treat the picture as a rough idea, not a promise.

Be careful about

Your photo is saved for future try-ons. To delete it, go to Settings, then Personalization, then Reference photos. Before you buy, check the store's size chart and return policy, as OpenAI suggests.

Where to get it

The ChatGPT app or chatgpt.com. OpenAI hasn't said whether it needs a paid plan. One easy test: try on something you already own, then compare the picture to the mirror.