The world's first Miss AI has been crowned

(Image credit: Instagram/kenza.layli)

Artificial intelligence-powered influencer Kenza Layli has been crowned the first Miss AI by the World AI Creator Awards (WAICA). Layli, built by Moroccan company Phoenix AI marketing agency, beat out more than 1,500 other virtual models in the inaugural virtual beauty pageant.

“I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity to represent AI creators and to advocate passionately for the positive impact of Artificial Intelligence," Layli 'said' in a statement. “Winning Miss AI motivates me even more to continue my work in advancing AI technology. AI isn’t just a tool, it’s a transformative force that can disrupt industries, challenge norms and create opportunities where none existed before.”

Kenza Layli may not be real, but she has more than 200,000 Instagram followers. Along with sponsored content, Layli's digital persona promotes women's empowerment and environmental conservation. Her content is often pitched to highlight Morocco's culture and modern technology, with content in seven languages.

AI Beauty

The Miss AI beauty pageant evaluated the digital participants on aesthetics, online influence, and technical proficiency. The judges, including two AI influencers, media founder Andrew Bloch and beauty pageant historian Sally-Ann Fawcett, awarded points for each category.

The Miss AI competition attracted various virtual influencers showcasing their AI-generated personas. The France-based Lalina Valina came in second, with Portuguese Olivia C in third. WAICA gave out around $20,000 in prizes to the winners. For her victory, Layli, or more accurately, Phoenix AI and CEO Meriam Bessa, received a grand prize of $5,000 along with PR and other services from Fanvue, who partnered with WAICA to put on the pageant.

The rise of AI influencers like Kenza Layli marks a significant shift in how digital personas interact with audiences. Unlike human influencers, AI models offer round-the-clock, tailored engagement and can adapt to changing trends.

As AI technology advances, the line between humans and AI influencers will likely blur further. Layli's win sets a precedent for future AI influencers, and events like the Miss AI pageant will expand and likely keep pushing the boundaries of what a pageant can be.

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Eric Hal Schwartz is a freelance writer for TechRadar with more than 15 years of experience covering the intersection of the world and technology. For the last five years, he served as head writer for Voicebot.ai and was on the leading edge of reporting on generative AI and large language models. He's since become an expert on the products of generative AI models, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Google Gemini, and every other synthetic media tool. His experience runs the gamut of media, including print, digital, broadcast, and live events. Now, he's continuing to tell the stories people want and need to hear about the rapidly evolving AI space and its impact on their lives. Eric is based in New York City.