THE HELP DESK
Using ChatGPT to Create Interventional Clothing
by Sophia Guevara
Have you ever heard of clothing being used as an interventional tool for problems such as child abuse? Consultants are sometimes called in to develop messaging for organizations that are looking to design a product meant to encourage positive behaviors. This made me think about how AI tools are helping people turn text into images. Could AI be used to design one of these types of products? I signed up for ChatGPT Plus and decided to test how easy it would be to create an image for a onesie that is meant to influence a positive outcome in a situation involving a frazzled caregiver and a crying baby.
FOURTH TIME’S THE CHARM
I was going to use the words “Be Gentle With Me,” but after a quick Google search, I discovered that something like that already exists. I then came up with, “You hold the future in your hands. Be gentle.” I entered this prompt into ChatGPT: “Create an image with DALL•E that would go on a onesie that asks caregivers to be gentle, as they are holding the future in their hands.” The first image didn’t turn out as well as I thought it would. (See Figure 1.) “Handle” wasn’t spelled correctly; neither was “care.” I also wanted an image that I could put on a onesie, not an image of a onesie with the message on it. I tried again, asking for a graphic design suitable for clothing. I thought this second attempt was better, but it also had multiple misspellings and even randomly inserted the word “tin.” (See Figure 2.) I loved the design in my third attempt (see Figure 3), but its unintelligible writing also wasn’t what I needed. Finally, on my fourth try, I got one I was comfortable with. (See Figure 4.)
CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION
Saving the file as a WebP, I used Microsoft’s Paint to turn it into a JPG. I uploaded it to the site of a local T-shirt company and chose a black newborn onesie to print it on. As of this writing, a onesie with two-color printing costs about $28 (or $15.65 each for an order of 25) at that business.
Do you think something like this could work to reduce instances of shaken baby syndrome or other abuse of infants? I did some research and found out about Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey, whose purple onesies are meant to remind caregivers of the Period of PURPLE Crying program that teaches about normal infant crying. In addition, the message on the onesie, “This Side Up,” is an instruction to place an infant on their back on a firm sleeping surface as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The National Children’s Alliance website indicates that the youngest children are often the most vulnerable to abuse. So, I asked ChatGPT what image or text could be put on a toddler’s shirt to help a caregiver not resort to abuse when a child acts unruly. Its answer included a mindfulness reminder—“Stay Calm”—for the caregiver. I decided to build on that message, and I liked the result, although it is missing the “a” in “I’m on a Cute Break.” (See Figure 5.)
I think AI tools could be used to reduce the complexities associated with the development of clothing products that can serve as intervention tools. With that being said, further research may be required to see if the phrase generated has already been copyrighted.
|
Sophia Guevara received both her M.L.I.S. and master of public administration degrees from Wayne State University. She has also been published in Computers in Libraries, Online Searcher, and Information Outlook. Send your comments about this article to