Dear Reader, we are living in a strange, strange world. I don’t know how to break our increasingly global culture down to its positive and negative elements, because the lines have blurred to such a degree that I can’t quite get a handle on them. I no longer feel at home. It all seems so random, and as if danger is just around the corner.
Case in point: by the time you read this, we should have the results of a controversial beauty contest that has no real women in it. The event is called the Fanvue World AI Creator Awards. The contestants are computer generated “women” who are being used as influencers.
1,500 AI creators entered their work in the pageant, and the competition has been narrowed down to 10 contestants. Each one of these faux women has thousands of followers on Instagram. The winner will receive $13,000 worth of prizes. The whole thing kind of gives me the creeps, to be honest, but the idea that there are at least 1490 more of these creations out there (and probably 1000 times that, because I’m sure that not all of them entered the contest) feels even weirder.
The fact that we as a species are gullible has been stunningly obvious to me since 2016, but this trend is particularly disturbing. How many things have we purchased because AI convinced us to do so? We’ll never know for sure. Pure illusions have been designed to separate us from our money, and they’re extremely good at it.
The top 10 in this pageant come from all over the world. They each have a lot in common. All of them are thin and young. Half of them are quite friendly looking, and would be approachable if they actually existed. The other half are kind of intimidating, and are, basically, sex on a stick. All but one have flawless skin. Most have enviable hair. Most of them are white, but they’re just ambiguous enough to be considered something else if need be. All seem confident. Many appear athletic. And, of course, all of them are trendy.
If you read this article, you’ll discover that each of these AI’s has a “profile”. They talk like they’re real. They appear to have hopes, dreams, and aspirations. They are all winners. One even claims to be a personal coach. That gives me a chill.
I weep for young girls. They already had enough to contend with in advertising. The super models, most of whom starve themselves and have had work done, set an all-but-unachievable standard for these kids. That’s one reason why eating disorders and depression are so common among girls. But now they’re expected to compete with… what? Pure fantasy?
AI will never get old, will never have to watch its weight, will never be sick or get pimples. It will never experience the bloating that comes with menstruation. It will never be poor or suffer an unwanted pregnancy or be subjected to sexual or mental abuse. Basically, it’s just not fair.
And I would hazard a guess that the majority of the people behind these beauties are men. I’ve always hated how women were exploited in the advertising industry, but hey, it’s a living, right? Now men don’t even need women. They can make these fakes do their bidding. They don’t have to worry about backtalk or demands for raises and better working conditions. Men now have a direct conduit to all the advertising dollars they could ever want, without even having to leave their grandmother’s basement. You no longer have to be cool. You just have to create a cool persona in the digital world.
Despite my cynicism, I have to admit that I still managed to get sucked in. I looked at these images long enough to start comparing and contrasting them. In other words, I began to judge. So I’ll raise myself up out of my deep pool of shame long enough to give you my opinion about which AI should win this ridiculous competition. “Her” name is Aiyana Rainbow, and her image appears below.
I’d buy stuff from her. I’d want to be her friend. I’d like to be her. Sort of.
Did I just say that?
John Lennon had it figured out in 1967. Strawberry fields forever. Nothing is real.
Update: Aiyana didn’t even come in third. Further proof that I see the world differently than the majority, I suppose!
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