First Miss AI Beauty Pageant: NPR

Beauty pageant contestants are always judged by their looks and in recent decades, their good deeds and winning personalities.

Still, one thing that has remained consistent throughout the history of beauty pageants is that you had to be human to enter.

But now that is changing.

Models created using generative artificial intelligence (AI) are competing in the inaugural “Miss AI” competition this month.

Contestants have no physical, real-world presence. They exist only on social media, primarily Instagram, in the form of photorealistic images of the most beautiful, sexy young women — all created using a combination of off-the-shelf and proprietary AI technology.

Some of the characters can also be seen talking and moving in the videos. And they share their “thoughts” and news about their “lives” mostly via text with social media posts.

In a video, Kanza Laili, created by a team from Morocco, talks in Arabic about how happy she is to be chosen as one of the finalists for Miss AI.

“I am proud to receive this nomination after only five months, especially since this invention is 100% Arab and Moroccan,” said the AI ​​model.

In another, Brazil's entry, Aaliyah Love, lip-syncs and bops to a song in her pajamas.

Although these beauty queens are not real women, there is a real cash prize of $5,000 for the winner. The company behind the event, UK-based online creator platform FanVue, is offering public relations and mentoring to the top finishers as well as the two runners-up.

A panel of four judges selected 10 finalists from 1,500 submissions, according to a statement from the organizer. This is the first in a series of AI content creator competitions that FanVue is launching under the umbrella of “The FanVue World AI Creator Awards.” The results of Miss AI will be announced at the end of June.

“What the awards have done is expose creators that none of us knew existed,” FanVue co-founder Will Munnage said in the statement. “And that's the beauty of the AI ​​creator space: It's enabling creative people to enter the creator economy with their AI-generated creations.

New technology, old look

The organizers of Miss AI are calling it the first such pageant involving AI. Beauty contests already exist elsewhere in the digital realm, for example on the online platform Second Life.

But in the real world, beauty pageants are dying out. After attracting tens of millions of TV viewers during their heyday in the 1970s and '80s, they are no longer the giant cultural draws they were.

These events are controversial, as they have a long history of harmful stereotypes for women.

In fact, all 10 Miss AI finalists fit traditional beauty queen tropes: they all look young, buxom and thin.

The controversial nature of the contests combined with the use of the latest AI technology is proving to be interesting for the media and the public. Simply put, fake sexy photos of women are an easy way to connect with fans.

“With this technology, we're in the very early stages, where I think it's the best kind of content that's very attractive and very low-hanging fruit,” said Eric Dahn, CEO of social media marketing company Mighty Joy. .

In an interview with NPR, beauty pageant historian and Miss AI judge Sally-Ann Fawcett said she hopes to change those stereotypes “from within” and AI will be able to focus its decision-making efforts on messaging around beauty queens. their shape.

“Because they're all beautiful, I want someone who I'm proud to say is an AI ambassador and role model who delivers great and inspiring messages, rather than just 'Hi, I Really hot!' ” said Fawcett.

Like real-life pageants, the Miss AI contestant's social media feeds talk about the good causes the character supports. For example, French actress Anne Kerdi is the brand ambassador for ocean conservation fund Océanopolis Acts, and Romanian Aiyana Rainbow has been described as an LGBTQ advocate.

But Fawcett said he wishes there was more diversity in the submissions for the competition.

“I want to see someone of a different gender, someone bigger, someone older, someone with flaws,” Fawcett said. “There's so much scope. But I think because it's the first year, everyone's conforming to this certain stereotype of beauty.”

Artist and filmmaker Lynn Hirschman-Lesson, whose work explores the intersection of technology and feminism, said she was surprised by the extent to which the AI ​​creators sidestepped traditional beauty pageants for the competition. .

“There are a lot of possibilities to consider for attraction in the world of AI,” Hershman-Lesson said in an interview with NPR. “And they've chosen to look for only the kind of surface similarity that's always been considered the winner of this kind of competition. It doesn't go beyond stereotypes.”

A digital marketing opportunity disguised as a beauty pageant.

Miss AI contestants are not being judged solely on their looks and messaging. There are two more unorthodox criteria at play that aren't traditionally found in beauty pageant judging: the skill with which AI creators use AI technology to make their models look ultra-realistic, and the avatars they create. How deeply and quickly are engaging audiences on social media feeds?

Creating a photo-realistic human is no easy feat. And, perhaps more importantly, Miss AI is not a beauty pageant at heart. It's really about showing AI as a marketing tool – especially in the realm of AI influencers.

Most social media influencers are human beings. According to one estimate, the influencer market is worth more than $16 billion, and growing rapidly. According to a recent report by Allied Market Research, the global influencer marketplace is expected to reach $200 billion by 2032.

AI influencers like the Miss AI finalists are starting to gain attention in this realm — especially if they can look and act like humans.

One of the world's most successful AI influencers, Aitana Lopez, earns several thousand dollars a month from brand partnerships with her creators — who are part of the Miss AI judging panel.

That's a pittance compared to the millions of top influencers like Kylie Jenner and Charlie D'Amelio, who currently make cosmetics, fashion and other deals. But it may not take long for AI's influence to catch up.

Mohammad Talha Saray, a member of the team in Ankara, Turkey, which created one of the Miss AI finalists — the red-haired, green-eyed Serene Ey — said she saw AI as a brand five or six months ago. came with the model. Ambassadors for your jewelry e-commerce company because the human influence contacts spent a lot of money and were demanding a lot. Sara said her AI avatar is cheaper, more flexible and doesn't talk back.

“With AI, there are no limits,” Sara told NPR. “You can do whatever you want. Like, if you just want to do something on the moon or on the sun, whatever you want, you can just do it – all with your imagination.”

Sare said that since Seren E came on board, her jewelery business has grown tenfold. His social media videos get millions of views.

“Our goal for Seren Ay is to position her as a globally recognized and beloved digital influencer,” said Sara. “Winning the Miss AI competition will be an important step towards achieving these goals, allowing us to reach a wider audience and create more opportunities for collaboration.”

He said that the influence of AI does not have the ability to move people as much as their human counterparts can.

“People always know it's an artificial intelligence,” Sara said.

Even so, he said he's constantly surprised by the number of people commenting on Serene E's posts on Instagram who seem to mistake the AI ​​character for a real person.

“People say they have feelings for Seren AI,” Sara said. “They're congratulating her. They're saying they hope she wins the prize.”