The winner of the first-ever AI beauty pageant has been awarded a cash prize of $13,000.
This comes after beating as many as 1,500 other computer-generated women.
Miss AI: First AI Beauty Pageant
Computer-generated Moroccan AI influencer Kenza Layli has won the Fanvue World AI Creator Awards, making her the world's first AI beauty queen. The team behind the AI was able to successfully beat 1,500 other computer-generated women.
Before this feat, the World AI Creator Awards (WAICAS) gathered 10 AI finalists to search for "Miss AI." It strictly involves AI-generated women.
The makers of the AI made use of programs like DALL·E 3 of OpenAI, Stable Diffusion, or Midjourney to generate the women's images using various prompts.
The computer-generated women still adhere to usual beauty standards, as they have young faces and slim bodies.
All of the contestants were assessed based on social media clout, their own beauty, and AI tool use for their creation.
According to Sofia Novales, a member of AI-generated influencer judge Aitana Lopez's team, Layli stood out among others due to great facial consistency and high detail quality in clothing, eyes, and hands. Novales also expressed that Layli's personality and how the AI handled real world issues were also impressive.
As noted in the AI's computer-generated speech upon receiving the honor, Layli shared that bagging the award motivated the AI to continue with AI technology advancements, stating further that AI is a transformative force that could challenge norms, foster new opportunities, and disrupt industries.
Layli was developed by Meriam Bessa from L'Atelier Digital & AI, which is a Moroccan media agency.
Meet the winner of the world's first AI beauty pageant: Moroccan 'influencer', Kenza Layli, claims the $13,000 prize after beating off competition from 1,500 computer-generated women https://t.co/a9BxHCU8cy
— Daily Mail Australia (@DailyMailAU) July 8, 2024
ALSO READ: Beauty Revolution: AI, AR, and DNA-Based Technologies
How AI Affects Beauty Standards, Body Image
In light of this Miss AI contest, several individuals have wondered if the technology either reflects beauty standards or challenges them.
According to research associate Kerry McInerney from the University of Cambridge's Leverhulme Center for the Future of Intelligence, most of the shortlisted models in the contest were extremely light-skinned and were mostly still thin and white, hardly diverging from beauty norms.
McInerney noted that such tools were made to scale up and replicate current world patterns without the necessary intentions to challenge such standards. They capture the beauty standards that currently exist.
Medical experts also have their take regarding how AI influences beauty standards and body image.
According to Dr. Steven Williams, the President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, the biggest technology downside could be the usage of social media. The doctor noted that AI could make images and smart filters look far from reality, and that shows that they don't age.
AI could be utilized to make algorithms and advertisements for such image promotions.
This garnered much attention in the medical circle, as several people try to have some safeguards to protect and inform patients regarding setting realistic expectations.
Dr. Jennifer Levine, a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon and attending plastic surgeon, also noted that AI-generated images could be problematic, as society gets highly exposed to images that are highly altered. People then start seeing these as standards of beauty.
One crucial challenge linked to AI setting standards of beauty is that there is a risk of amplifying and perpetuating stereotypes and biases that already exist. AI could end up solidifying certain biases, which could be discriminatory or narrow.
Another concern is ethical in nature, regarding how AI could shape homogenized and unrealistic beauty ideals. Being constantly exposed to computer-generated images that show such ideal beauty standards could trigger issues with body image and the pursuit of physical alterations that are actually unattainable.
AI could also threaten the diversity and individuality of beauty norms as it could massively disseminate certain images. There is also a risk of beauty standard commercialization.
RELATED ARTICLE: Body Image and Selfie Culture: Social Media Use Likely Linked to Appearance Dissatisfaction, Increased Plastic Surgery Procedures, Study Reveals
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