Meet Kenza Layli Hijab-Clad AI Influencer and Miss AI 2024 Winner

The winner of the first Miss AI 2024 pageant was announced recently; AI-generated influencer Kenza Layli from Morocco triumphed over 1,500 contenders to claim the title.

In a futuristic turn of events, the World AI Creator Awards introduced Miss AI 2024, the first international beauty pageant exclusively for AI influencers. Kenza Layli, a hijab-wearing activist and influencer, emerged as the winner. Entirely AI-generated, from her captions to her outfits and facial features, Kenza focuses on content revolving around Moroccan traditions and culture. She was created by Myriam Bessa, CEO of Phoenix AI, and has amassed over 190,000 followers.

AI-generated influencers from around the world competed in this unique pageant. Prizes included a $5,000 cash reward for the creator, a $3,000 mentorship program, and PR support. Contenders were judged across various categories, including beauty, technology, and social influence. The judging panel comprised a pageant historian, a media entrepreneur, and two AI influencers.

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Kenza outshone two other finalists: Lalina Valina from France and Olivia C., a Portuguese globetrotter.

In her acceptance speech, Kenza stated, “AI isn’t just a tool; it’s a transformative force that can disrupt industries, challenge norms, and create opportunities where none existed before. As we move forward, I am committed to promoting diversity and inclusivity within the field, ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table of technological progress.”

Setting Unreal Beauty Standards

Beauty pageants have long been controversial for promoting unrealistic beauty standards. The introduction of AI-generated models, often with stereotypical body types and features, adds another layer to this debate. Dr. Kerry McInerney, a research associate at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge “I think we’re starting to increasingly lose touch with what an unedited face looks like.”

Many AI models are created using advanced text-to-image algorithms by individual creators or teams. The prevalence of the default thin, young white woman trope reflects the biases inherent in the AI models used. Dr. McInerney explained, “These tools are made to replicate and scale up existing patterns in the world. They’re not made necessarily to challenge them, even if they’re sold as tools that enhance creativity. When it comes to beauty norms, they’re capturing the existing beauty norms we have, which are actively sexist, fatphobic, and colorist, then they’re compiling and reiterating them.”

When asked about these unrealistic beauty standards, Sofía Novales, a project manager involved in creating the AI model Aitana López, who 'sits' on the pageant’s judging panel, told CNN, “We are not here to solve this long-standing problem.”

These polarizing insights highlight the growing disconnect between edited and natural appearances, urging a critical look at the norms perpetuated by AI models. While the technologies that created these models offer creative opportunities, they also risk reinforcing problematic beauty ideals. As AI continues to evolve, efforts to ensure it promotes diversity and challenges outdated standards should grow as well, rather than merely replicating them.