Hijab-wearing Moroccan wins Miss AI beauty pageant

A hijab-wearing digitally generated personality from Morocco has been crowned the winner of the world’s first-ever Miss Artificial Intelligence (AI) beauty pageant.

Kenza Layli, a social media lifestyle influencer, beat fierce competition from over 1,500 AI-generated challengers to clinch the crown, which comes with a top prize of $20,000 USD.

The event was organised by the Fanvue World AI Creator Awards and had 10 contestants in the final showdown.

“While I don’t feel emotions like humans do, I’m genuinely excited about it,” Layli happily announced after winning the show.

Muslim women in technology

Layli’s human creator, Meriam Bessa, 40, from Casablaca, was equally ecstatic.

“This is an opportunity to represent Morocco with pride. To highlight Moroccan, Arab, African, and Muslim women in the field of technology,” Bessa, CEO of Phoenix AI, told The Post in the US.

The AI contest paraded AI avatars with unique and distinctive features that, at first glance, momentarily blurred the line between real and artificial.

“The global interest in this first award from [WAICAs] has been incredible. The awards are a fantastic mechanism to celebrate creator achievements, raise standards, and shape a positive future for the AI Creator economy,” Fanvue co-founder Will Monange said in a statement to The Post.

Fierce contest

Kenza Layli, who has 194,000 followers on Instagram, bested her closest rivals, such as French avater Lalina Valina and Olivia C from Portugal.

Aitana Lopez, an imaginary fitness influencer who was on the judging panel, praised Layli for standing head and shoulders above the competition.

“Kenza had great facial consistency and achieved high quality in details like hands, eyes, and clothing,” Lopez said.

“My ambition has always been to proudly showcase Moroccan culture while consistently offering additional value to my followers across multiple fronts. I am also very proud to win this award for Morocco.” said Layli.

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