EBay deploys AI-based tool to modify product picture background

Generating commercial images is increasingly becoming one of the preferred uses of artificial intelligence (AI). US e-tailer EBay has announced it has deployed an AI-based tool that enables users to digitally change the background of a product presentation picture, a practice that is more and more widespread.

EBay’s new tool is currently available in the USA, the UK and Germany. It is described as easy to use, and it digitally turns products around to remove and replace their picture’s background. It is an ideal solution in the case of sales between private individuals, as occasional vendors are usually less well-equipped for photographing their products professionally.

“We are using AI to help our vendors produce their adverts in a faster, higher-quality and more transparent way,” said Xiaodi Zhang, vice-president vendor experience at EBay. “Our vendors’ time is valuable, and we want to make sure our tools enable them to achieve their sales promotion goals and drive more revenue,” added Zhang.

In September, EBay deployed another AI-based solution, aimed at automatically generating product names and descriptions based on visual analysis. Solutions to change product photo backgrounds were adopted by Amazon last October, and by Google the following month.

As FashionNetwork.com reported at the start of 2024, the use of AI tools has gained traction across the entire fashion and luxury sector: from design to marketing, AI-generated product information sheets and anti-counterfeiting monitoring, collection composition, manufacturing optimisation, and in-store inventory management.

EBay, whose AGM will be held on June 20, generated a revenue of $2.6 billion (€2.42 billion) in 2023, up 2%, with a sales volume of $18.6 billion (up by 1%). These results were regarded as disappointing, and in January the group announced it was cutting some 1,000 jobs, about 9% of its workforce.