Photo/Courtesy of Qian Dazhu

Anna, a part-time wig model, has seen her orders drop dramatically in recent months - all thanks to a new AI sensation that has taken the world by storm.

ChatGPT, an AI system that can generate realistic texts and images, has been hailed as a game-changer in various fields, including cross-border e-commerce.

NBD noticed that sellers of beauty and wig products on e-commerce platforms can now use ChatGPT and Midjourney, to create stunning photos of their products.

Qian Dazhu, a veteran cross-border e-commerce seller in the beauty and wig sector, told NBD that he used to spend tens of thousands of yuan to hire a model for a wig photo shoot, but now he can generate several versions in 10 minutes with ChatGPT and Midjourney.

“And the simulated test shows that AI drawing is more human-like than real shooting, and it will definitely be better than manual shooting after rendering,” he said.

He added that ChatGPT also helps with translation and product editing, making human editors redundant.

Li Shaofeng, who has been working in the cross-border e-commerce field for 11 years, told NBD that the company's copywriting team has seen its workforce shank from 5-6 people to 1. "It (ChatGPT) helps me with translation and product editing. It's fast and good, and very precise," he said.

He revealed that 60% to 70% of e-commerce companies he knows are using AI. "Now you only need to master the new tool, and one person can be equal to a whole team." Li Shaofeng explained.

But not everyone is doomed by the rise of AI. Qian Dazhu believes that live-streaming hosts, who sell goods to their fans online, are still irreplaceable by AI.

"Human hosts can adjust the fans’ emotions according to the real-time feedback in the live room and answer some questions in time, "he explained. "Although humans make mistakes, they also bring a sense of intimacy. These are things written in genes that AI cannot do."

However, he warned that the cross-border e-commerce industry will face a bigger change soon.

"I personally estimate that by the end of this year or early next year, all sellers in the cross-border e-commerce industry will need to use AI to sell goods," he said.