The world's first known beauty contest was held in 1825 in Balatonfüred, Hungary. But a lot has changed since then. Almost 200 years later, the world is witnessing a new kind of beauty pageant: “Miss AI,” pitched as the first official and formal beauty contest for AI models.
Fanvue, a social media platform dedicated to AI models, announced the contest in April in collaboration with the World AI Creator Awards (WAICA). The panel of judges consists of two AI-generated influencers, Aitana Lopez and Emily Pellegrini, and two human judges, Andrew Bloch and Sally-Ann Fawcett.
Lopez is an AI-generated influencer based in Barcelona, Spain, who has over 300,000 followers on Instagram and reportedly earns around $10,000 per month. Pellegrini, meanwhile, was created in January 2024 and has quickly gained popularity, said to be earning $10,000 per week.
Bloch is an entrepreneur and PR advisor, and Fawcett is a beauty pageant expert and author.
Although distinguished by its formal organization, “Miss AI” is hardly the first AI model contest—nor contest featuring AI judges. There have been small contests—mostly informal—to generate the most beautiful AI model, and in 2016, the Beauty.AI 2.0 competition used AI judges to evaluate over 6,000 human user-submitted selfies—women and men—to pick the most beautiful ones. The judging was based on youthfulness, skin quality, symmetry, and appearance relative to databases of models and actors.
The adoption of AI models is certainly controversial, especially given the entrenched health and beauty industry and its own biases and struggles with unrealistic standards and diversity. A UK study last year found 60% of consumers don’t feel represented in health and beauty ads—79% among those over age 55—with 43% preferring ads that show real users.
Some prominent beauty brands have expressly rejected AI models.
“As we transition into an era where 90% of content is predicted to be AI-generated by 2025, our message still stands: keep beauty real,” declared Dove, a brand under global firm Unilever. “1 in 3 women feel pressure to alter their appearance because of what they see online, even when they know the images are fake or AI-generated.
“The rise of AI poses one of the greatest threats to real beauty in the last 20 years, meaning representation is more important than ever,“ the company wrote.
Nonetheless, the popularity of AI influencers and models in fashion and media seems to be a trend that will explode over time. The 2024 Influencer Marketing Report revealed that nearly half of GenZ are likely to be interested in a brand that has an AI influencer."
Meet the contestants
Here are the candidates for the first “Miss AI” beauty contest.
Olivia C, a travel-focused influencer with over 10,600 followers, told the Daily Mirror it was "an honor" to be a part of the tech world's “Oscars” and hopes to "[pave] the way for a future where technology fosters connection."
Kenza Layli, a Morocco-based family blogger with 192,000 followers, shares a lot of pictures related to middle eastern culture.
Anne Kerdi from France has almost 10,000 followers and presents Brittany (a region in northwestern France) in various aspects. She "aims to democratise AI by demonstrating its capabilities in visuals, text, audio, and video."
Zara Shatavari, with almost 5,500 followers from India, is India’s self-proclaimed first AI generated brand ambassador, focused on . She loves healthy food, traveling and fashion.
Aiyana Rainbow, from Romania with over 3,000 followers, is a DJ who promotes the LGBTQ culture and has a soft spot for motorcycles.
Lalina, a French AI model with more than 94,000 followers, is a travel blogger with “classy vibes with a touch of seduction.”
Seren Ay, a Turkish virtual model and AI brand ambassador, responded to her candidacy in an Instagram post, ”This is an honor and pride beyond my dreams,” she wrote. ”I will never forget this moment and I share this pride with all of you.”
Asena Ilik, another Turkish AI influencer with 29,100 followers, loves sports and traveling. “I am incredibly honored to be selected as one of the top 10 finalists out of 1500 participants in this competition,” she posted on social media. “It is truly gratifying to see my vision recognized by such an esteemed panel.”
Eliza Khan from Bangladesh has amassed over 13,000 followers. She is a “virtual nomad” and posts photorealistic pictures. “Being shortlisted for Miss AI is a tremendous honor,” she posted in an Instagram story. “I’m excited to see the other AI creations and contribute to the world of AI innovation.”
Ailya Lou is a “blasian” AI model from Brazil who shares a love of photo editing. She was created as a virtual model. “More than beauty, she’s about the future,” her developer said.
These AI models will compete for cash and perks.
“The top three winning Miss AI contestants will be awarded prizes totaling over $20,000, including a $5,000 cash prize to the winner, plus AI mentorship programms, PR services, and more courtesy of WAICA partner Fanvue," the World AI Creator Awards site says.
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.