![Romanian AI model Aiyana Rainbow was selected as a finalist for Miss AI.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1720x1290+0+54/resize/1100/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd9%2F94%2Ffb3018b04e2b8333c10bbab945e7%2Faiyanarainbow1.jpg)
Beauty pageant contestants have always been judged on their looks and, in recent decades, on their good deeds and winning personalities.
Nonetheless, one thing that has remained consistent throughout pageant history is that you have to be human to participate.
But now things are changing.
Models created using generative artificial intelligence (AI) will compete in the first ‘Miss AI’ contest this month.
Participants have no physical, real presence. They mainly exist only on social media like Instagram in the form of realistic images of very beautiful and sexy young women. All of this was created using a combination of off-the-shelf and proprietary AI technologies.
Some characters can even be seen speaking and moving in the videos. And they share ‘thoughts’ and news about their ‘life’ mainly through text attached to social media posts.
In one video produced by the Moroccan team, Kenza Layli speaks in Arabic about how happy she is to have been selected as one of the Miss AI finalists.
“We are proud to have received this nomination after only five months of existence, especially because this invention is 100% Arab and Moroccan,” the AI model said.
In another piece, Ailya Lou from Brazil runs around in her pajamas, lip-syncing to a song.
Even though these beauty queens aren't real women, the winner will receive a real prize of $5,000. FanVue, the UK-based online creator platform leading the event, will also provide promotional and mentorship benefits to the first-place entry and two runners-up.
A panel of four judges selected 10 finalists from 1,500 submissions, according to a statement from organizers. This is the first in a series of contests for AI content creators that FanVue is launching under the name ‘FanVue World AI Creator Awards’. The Miss AI selection results will be announced at the end of June.
“This award allows us to discover creators none of us knew about,” FanVue co-founder Will Monange said in a statement. “And this is the beauty of the AI creative space: it allows creative people to enter the creative economy through AI-generated creations without having to be their own face.”
New technologies, old formats
Miss AI organizers are touting this pageant as the first of its kind to involve AI. Beauty pageants already exist elsewhere in the digital realm, such as on the online platform Second Life.
However, in the real world, beauty pageants are gradually disappearing. They are no longer the mega-cultural favorites that drew tens of millions of TV viewers during their heyday in the 1970s and '80s.
The incident is controversial because there is a long history of promoting harmful stereotypes about women.
![Miss USA and Miss Teen USA resign within days of each other, putting the organization in the spotlight](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/05/09/umasofia-srivastava_sq-1a60e26a48457058da3d3d4ed9f0b439591ae1ff.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg)
In fact, all 10 Miss AI finalists fit the traditional beauty queen trope. They all look young, voluptuous and slim.
Controversial beauty pageants coupled with the application of cutting-edge AI technology are proving to be catnip for both the media and the public. Simply put, sexy images of fake women are an easy way to connect with fans.
“We’re in the early days with this technology, and I think it’s the perfect type of content that’s very interesting and can get very low results,” said Eric Dahan, CEO of Mighty Joy, a social media marketing company. .
In an interview with NPR, pageant historian and Miss AI judge Sally-Ann Fawcett said she hopes to change these stereotypes “from within” by focusing judging efforts on the messaging surrounding AI beauty queens. their appearance.
“Rather than just saying, ‘Hi, I’m really sexy,’ because they’re all beautiful, we want someone who can proudly say they’re an AI ambassador and role model who delivers a great, inspiring message.” said Fawcett.
Just like the actual pageant, Miss AI contestants' social media feeds talk about the good causes their characters support. For example, French avatar Anne Kerdi is the brand ambassador for ocean conservation fund Océanopolis Acts, while Romania's Aiyana Rainbow is described as an LGBTQ advocate.
![Miss AI finalist Anne Kerdi](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1430x1073+0+136/resize/1100/quality/100/format/png/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4b%2F61%2Ffc19ee2642c5b61603af6267576f%2Fannekerdi.png)
AI model Anne Kerdi, Miss AI finalist.
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But Fawcett said he wishes the contest's submissions were more diverse.
“I want to see people of different genders, people who are bigger, people who are older, people who have flaws,” Fawcett said. “The range is really wide, but since it’s the first year, I think everyone is sticking to that typical beauty stereotype.”
Lynn Hershman Leeson, an artist and filmmaker who explores the intersection of technology and feminism, said she was taken aback by the extent to which the contest's AI creators adhered to traditional pageant tropes.
“There are so many possibilities in the AI world that we can consider attractive,” Hershman Leeson told NPR. “And they decided to look for some sort of superficial similarity to what has always been considered the winner in these kinds of competitions. It doesn’t go beyond the stereotype of the stereotype.”
Digital marketing opportunity disguised as a beauty pageant
Miss AI contestants aren't judged solely on their appearance and message. There are two additional unconventional criteria not traditionally found in beauty pageant judging. It's how AI creators use AI technology to make their models look hyper-realistic, and how deeply and quickly these avatars engage audiences on social media feeds.
Creating realistic humans is not an easy task. And perhaps more importantly, Miss AI is not inherently a beauty pageant. Especially in the realm of AI influencers, it’s important to showcase AI as a marketing tool.
![‘This is trash’: Influencers, step aside. We are now in the era of deinfluence.](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/03/22/screenshot_sq-c83d9737862898b7cd17b3b55aae5b654e66ce5f.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg)
Most social media influencers are human. According to one estimate, the influencer market is worth more than $16 billion and is growing rapidly. According to a recent Allied Market Research report, the global influencer market is expected to reach $200 billion by 2032.
AI influencers like Miss AI finalists are starting to gain traction in this area, especially if they can look and act like humans.
Aitana Lopez, one of the world's most successful AI influencers, earns thousands of dollars a month through brand partnerships with creators who are part of the Miss AI judging panel.
That's a pittance compared to the millions of influential humans like Kylie Jenner and Charli D'Amelio currently making in cosmetics, fashion and other deals. But it may not take long for AI influencers to start catching up.
![Miss AI finalist Seren A](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x768+0+128/resize/1100/quality/100/format/png/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdf%2F19%2F7f545430443f8f818d1347d0364d%2Fphoto3.png)
Miss AI finalist Seren Ay.
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Mohammad Talha Saray, part of the Ankara, Turkey team that created the red-haired, green-eyed Seren Ay, one of the Miss AI finalists, said they came up with the AI model as a brand five to six months ago. Being an ambassador for a jewelry e-commerce company was too expensive and too demanding of the influential humans they approached. Saray said his AI avatar is cheaper, more flexible and non-responsive.
“There are no limits to AI,” Saray told NPR. “You can do whatever you want. For example, if you want to do something on the moon or the sun, you can do whatever you want. You just have to use your imagination.”
Saray said his jewelry business has grown tenfold since Seren Ay came on board. Her social media videos garner millions of views.
“Our goal for Seren Ay is to establish her as a globally recognized and loved digital influencer,” Saray said. “Winning the Miss AI competition will be an important step toward achieving these goals, allowing us to reach a wider audience and seize more collaboration opportunities.”
He said AI influencers don't have the ability to move people like humans do.
“People will always know it’s artificial intelligence,” Saray said.
But he commented on Seren Ay's post on Instagram and said he was constantly surprised by the number of people who seemed to mistake AI characters for real humans.
“People say they have feelings for Seren AI,” Saray said. “They're congratulating her for who she is. They're saying they hope she gets her award.”