AI isn't going away. I use it heavily. But we use it in a way that makes us better, not in a way that does the job for us so we stop understanding how things work.
The great thing about hairdressing is that it's very hands-on. People can use AI for consultation ideas and to figure out what they want. It's up to us as hairdressers to figure out what they actually need.
What we're seeing in the chair
Clients come in with AI pictures of themselves. What they don't realize is that a lot of the time, the AI adds anywhere from 25 to 50 percent more density. It may change the texture ever so slightly. It might change the face shape ever so slightly, because a lot of these tools are built to please.
AI is built to please. That doesn't mean it's relevant to who the client actually is.
It's pleasing to the eye. But it isn't who they are or what they actually have.
How to handle it
Don't dismiss the photo. It's useful information about what they like. Then do your job:
- Look at the shape, color and mood they're drawn to.
- Compare the density in the picture with the density on their head, and say so kindly.
- Check whether the texture in the image matches how their hair actually behaves.
- Notice whether the face in the photo has been reshaped, and design for the real one.
- Then plan what's achievable for them, and what it will take to maintain.
That conversation builds more trust than simply copying the picture, because the client can tell you're looking at them, not the screen.
Where education is heading
In five years, a lot of the big brands will catch up to where we're thinking now. We need to understand the world as we live in it now, the world we think we'll live in then, and the right path to get there.
If you're not going to evolve, you're going to dissolve.
So we're building education around understanding clients and coaching them through this world. They can use these tools to get good ideas. That doesn't displace or replace hairdressers as a whole.
Consultation is part of every Kaizen class. Want your whole team on the same page? Bring us in with in-salon education.