Miss Artificial Intelligence: The pageant that uses AI to create the perfect “influencer”

The Miss Pageant Artificial intelligencewhich uses this technology to create the perfect “influencer” following strict beauty standards, emerges as a new initiative to perpetuate aesthetic canons and perfect lifestyles, only possible with AI.

In the first edition of this peculiar contest, which was launched in April by Fanvue, an artificial intelligence-based content platform, More than 1,500 participants registered, according to the organization.

Issues such as your appearance and realism, the good use of artificial intelligence, or its influence on social networks, Are the priorities that followed the judges to select the ten finalists for the contest, whose winner is expected to be announced this week.

One of the finalists is the Turkish Seren Ay,which accumulates more than 20,000 followers on Instagram,where its creators show her traveling in Istanbul, Paris and Taiwan, or at the controls of an aircraft.

“The standard of her content is incredibly high and we loved the originality and imagination behind each image. Placing her in different scenarios is really interesting and shows how AI creators can easily place women in traditionally male-dominated roles and fields,” the jury said of Ay.

The link between the contest and artificial intelligence reaches such a level that it has including two of the most popular virtual influencers on the judging panel: Aitana López and Emily Pellegrini, who have more than half a million followers on social networks.

But Ay, like other finalists, was not expressly created for the contest, but rather promotes the jewelry that gave her life in December 2023.

“We wanted to work with an influencer to create visibility for our jewelry brand, Sirena Arte, but due to costs and various extravagant demands, we looked for other solutions,” the project manager, Furkan Sahin, explained to EFE.

One of those solutions was to create Ay using artificial intelligence.

“While creating the character, we analyzed the type of content produced by popular female influencers in Turkey using artificial intelligence and created a character accordingly,” said Sahin, who said the technology recommended she be a redhead.

Meanwhile, in India, digital marketing agency Digimozo created Zara Shatavari to advertise one of its nutrition products.

“We wanted a fresh face that could champion a healthy lifestyle. AI played a crucial role in developing Zara’s look and personality. We used AI to create an attractive personality that aligned with our brand values ​​and helped us generate her physical appearance,” company co-founder Rahul Choudhry told EFE.

Immaculate beauty

However, despite the infinite possibilities provided by artificial intelligence, Shatavari’s immaculate complexion, her thinness and her attractiveness seem to be governed by the same beauty standards as the other participants.

“Our aim was to create a Bollywood-style celebrity,” said Choudhry, who admitted that her creation follows conventional beauty standards and has received comments that Shatavari was “too thin.”

Something similar happens with the rest of the finalists, who, either because of their thinness or because of exaggeratedly marked features to highlight their figure or face, project an image of perfection that is not in line with the supposed everyday life that they try to show with their personalities.

This immaculate beauty makes the social causes defended by the candidates more important, which seems to be what the jury prioritizes in its evaluations.

Shatavari says she is a warrior in the fight against depression and is passionate about fashion and travel. She combines this with her blog, where she publishes articles to counteract hormonal imbalance or reduce stress and anxiety.

“Her role is to inspire and educate about health and wellness, leveraging her celebrity appeal to create a positive impact,” said Choudhry, who creates these posts with the help of ChatGPT, another artificial intelligence tool.

While others such as the Romanian Aiyana Rainbow have established themselves as an ally of the LGBT movement, and the French Anne Kerdi is an ambassador for Oceanopolis, a fund for the conservation and preservation of the oceans in Brittany, France.

The winner’s $13,000 prize, along with a publicist who will help increase her audience, will largely depend on the scope of these initiatives, the organization said.