Intro
In the past few years, we’ve heard more and more talking about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and how it is entering our everyday life. Tools and functions that can streamline tedious tasks are becoming more and more available, both for companies and for the broad public.
Here at Pagination, we have a genuine curiosity about the latest developments in AI tools, and we have a special interest in tools that can help the creation of data-based documents like catalogs or price lists.
We asked ourselves is there an AI catalog maker? Short answer: Not yet. However, there are other AI-based tools that can help with the creation of a catalog.
Contents
- How can AI help me with the creation of a product catalog?
- Images
- Textual Information
- Catalog Creation
- AI VS AUTOMATION
- AI
- Automation
- Conclusion
How can AI help me with the creation of a product catalog?
Data-based documents such as product catalogs are the sum of a variety of components like product information, product images, and catalog layout. We searched a wide variety of services that could fall into the “AI catalog maker” category, so tools that use AI, and that can be used to simplify or help with the creation of data-based documents. Here are some of them:
Images
RemoveBG
In many product catalogs, images often feature either a white or transparent background, emphasizing the product as the focal point. This uniformity in backgrounds contributes to a cohesive and consistent appearance throughout the catalog. However, from our experience, not all companies readily have such images at their disposal, and manually creating them can be a laborious and time-consuming process.
“RemoveBG” utilizes Artificial Intelligence to identify the subjects within images and seamlessly remove the backgrounds.
Stylized
Occasionally, there’s a demand for striking images that spotlight a particular product to capture consumer interest. Crafting these images typically requires significant resources, including both financial investment and technical expertise, which may be beyond a company’s capacity. ‘Stylized’ is an AI-powered tool designed to generate attractive product images with ease. Users can input textual descriptions to define the desired background, and ‘Stylized’ takes care of the rest, creating visually appealing images that stand out.
Textual Information
Vue.ai
Vue.ai’s product tagging solution, VueTag, uses data extraction and data prediction to enhance product data. With AI, it extracts and enriches product data from structured or unstructured visual and textual inputs.
Vue.ai helps retail product, catalog, and vendor onboarding teams save time and go to market faster with a set of AI solutions. Retailers can create and standardize catalog text and image content with AI-powered product tagging and image moderation.
Smartling
Companies that sell products in multiple markets, might have the need to translate product information and marketing materials. Smartling can be integrated with a PIM system, it uses AI to translate product information in multiple languages.
It is a cloud-based, AI-enabled translation platform that combines a Neural Machine Translation Hub and professional language services.
Catalog Creation
As of now, there are no AI catalog makers: AI models that can independently create fully designed and paginated product catalogs directly from a database.
Pagination
Pagination provides a level of automation in catalog creation, which (unlike other software that relies on a limited set of fixed templates) can automate customer-designed layouts and data files.
This allows the preservation of brand guidelines and ensures that the presentation of product data can be customized by those who know the products best: the customers.
AI VS AUTOMATION
Here at Pagination we often talk about automation. Nowadays Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation are terms that are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different concepts and technologies. What’s the difference between AI and automation?
AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) simulates human intelligence in machines, enabling them to perform tasks that typically require human cognition. These machines are not only programmed to replicate human actions but are also capable of exhibiting characteristics akin to the human mind, such as learning and problem-solving.
AI systems are distinguished by their ability to assimilate data, adapt to new situations, and undertake tasks that are traditionally performed by humans. This involves complex processes such as:
- pattern recognition,
- decision-making,
- problem resolution.
AI transcends mere rule-following; it entails making informed decisions through data interpretation and continuous learning.
Automation
Automation is the application of technology to execute processes or procedures with little to no human intervention. These systems are engineered to carry out a consistent and unvarying sequence of actions based on pre-set instructions, without the capability to learn or adapt from data. The primary objective of automation is to enhance efficiency and ensure uniformity in performing specific, repetitive tasks.
In essence, while both AI and automation are about making processes more efficient:
- AI brings a level of intelligence and learning capability that allows for more complex and adaptive functionalities.
- Automation is about consistency and efficiency in repetitive tasks without the need for adaptation or learning.
Conclusion
AI models can be very useful for accelerating repetitive and complex tasks, such as adding or removing backgrounds from product images, or for generating and enhancing text.
However, we are still a long way from having an AI catalog maker: a service that can layout data to create documents that are both technically correct and aesthetically pleasing.
At present, the closest we have come to this is through the automation of layout processes. This approach retains the need for human creativity in the design of product layouts and templates while eliminating the monotony and repetitiveness of layout thousands of data.
