Meet the AI-generated women in the “Miss AI” beauty pageant

TThe beauty pageant industry is not what it used to be. Miss Universe, which has existed since 1952, has seen a dramatic drop in viewership over the past five years. In May, the reigning Miss USA and Miss Teen USA surrendered their crowns, sparking new controversy in the community.

But a new kind of beauty pageant has emerged. This contest is similar in many ways to the traditional pageant, except for one thing: the women aren’t real.

The World AI Creators Awards (WAICAS) brought together 10 finalists in their quest to find “Miss AI,” the winner of an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated beauty pageant for women. The finalists, chosen from 1,500 participants, come from creative teams from around the world. Creators use programs like DALL·E 3, Midjourney, or Open AI’s Stable Diffusion to generate images of the women based on different text prompts.

These AI-generated women still follow stereotypical beauty standards, with thin bodies and youthful faces. Open AI previously acknowledged finding that “DALL-E 3 by default generates images of people who fit stereotypical and conventional beauty ideals.” Computer vision experts and the Algorithmic Justice League have also discovered racial bias in facial analysis technology.

In an email to TIME, the WAICAS team responded to concerns about perpetuating traditional beauty standards, saying it wanted to focus on “celebrating diversity and realism.”

“It’s not about promoting unrealistic standards, but about creating realistic creators who represent real people,” they said. “Traditional parades have taken decades to evolve and become more representative, whereas AI can do it in fast motion, which is really exciting. »

These candidates will be judged on the basis of three criteria: beauty, technology and influence. Influence can take many forms, but most AI-generated women are online influencers.

The World AI Creator Awards (WAICA) Instagram page features 10 posts, introducing each of the AI-generated women to the public. One of the candidates, Kenza Layli, “contributes to the empowerment of women in Morocco and the Middle East”, with nearly 200,000 subscribers. Another, Olivia C, from Portugal, is featured as a “traveler,” demonstrating how technology can “enhance the human experience, not replace it.” Meanwhile, AI-generated avatar Aiyana Rainbow’s profile includes iconography of the queer community, adorned with rainbows in many posts, and is an “embodiment of inclusiveness and of LGBTQIA+ acceptance”.

It’s easy to forget that these women aren’t real, because each of them has a detailed personality that is depicted on their Instagram page. But everything was AI-generated, from their interests and hobbies to the cut of their hair and the beaches they lounge on.

The competition will be partially judged by two humans: Andrew Bloch, media advisor, and Sally-Ann Fawcett, beauty pageant historian and author. They will be joined by two AI-generated influencers, Aitana Lopez and Emily Pellegrini, who will judge the artistry of each contestant meticulously selected by the AI.

According to the competition website, the overall winner of the competition will receive items including a $5,000 cash prize and PR support worth more than $5,000.

The winner will be announced on Monday, July 8 via a World AI Creator Awards social media announcement video.