Initially, there was the AI beauty competition. Following that, came the AI music contests. Presently, an accolade exists for AI Personality of the Year — this likely represents the unavoidable progression for the virtual influencer market as it evolves from a peculiar curiosity into a substantial and profitable sector.
This competition, a collaborative endeavor by AI generation studio OpenArt and the AI-driven creator platform Fanvue, supported by AI voice company ElevenLabs, is set to commence on Monday and continue for four weeks. The event’s planners stated its purpose is to honor the innovative prowess ‘behind’ virtual influencers and acknowledge their expanding business and societal influence.
Participants will vie for a cumulative reward pool totaling $20,000, which will be distributed among a grand champion and distinct classifications such as physical well-being, daily living, humorist, musical and choreographic performer, and imaginary cartoon, anime, or fantasy persona. The triumphant entries will be honored at a May gathering, which the organizers are christening the “‘Academy Awards’ for AI personas.”
Entry requires the creation of your virtual influencer using OpenArt’s platform and its submission via www.AIpersonality.ai. Applicants will need to provide social media usernames from platforms including TikTok, X, YouTube, and Instagram, along with the narrative underpinning the persona, the impetus for its development, and information regarding any commercial collaborations.
The panel evaluating the participants includes Gil Rief, a comedy writer with thirteen Emmy wins, the developers of the Spanish virtual model Aitana Lopez, and Christopher “Topher” Townsend, the MAGA-aligned rapper responsible for the AI-produced gospel vocalist Solomon Ray. As detailed in a judges’ brief reviewed by The Verge, entrants’ performance will be evaluated based on four benchmarks: excellence, online influence, commercial attractiveness, and the creative impetus for the digital persona. Key considerations encompass consistent interaction with followers, maintaining a uniform appearance across digital platforms, meticulous elements such as possessing the “correct count of digits,” and presenting a “genuine backstory” for the avatar.
Both seasoned creators and newcomers are welcome to participate in the competition, however, even current virtual influencers must submit content generated via OpenArt’s platform, according to Matt Jones, Fanvue’s brand director, in an interview with The Verge.
Although intended to laud the developers of digital personas, Jones noted that participants are not obligated to reveal their identities publicly. “Should an individual responsible for this exceptional creation prefer to avoid media attention, public exposure, or having their name publicized, that is entirely acceptable,” he stated. “There will be no compulsion to push anyone into the public eye. Our focus will simply be on commending the work itself.'”
The ability for creators to maintain anonymity seems peculiar for a competition assessing genuineness, especially within a virtual influencer landscape constructed from imaginary individuals, deceptive identities, and manufactured histories. This very anonymity has additionally enabled scams to proliferate with minimal oversight, ranging from the AI-driven white nationalist musician Danny Bones to the MAGA-themed digital character Jessica Foster.
Common issues also accompany this endeavor, such as ongoing inquiries regarding uniqueness, and concerns about whether AI-produced content, or even resemblances, are plagiarized from actual artists, or if these technologies merely replicate existing prejudices in artificial manifestations. Fanvue, as an organizer, has previously drawn censure on this matter: a Guardian columnist in 2024 characterized its “Miss AI” beauty competition as an entity that “adopts every harmful gender-specific aesthetic standard and amalgamates them into an utterly unattainable presentation.”
According to Fanvue’s Jones, developers invariably infuse a part of themselves into the virtual characters they craft. He asserted, “It’s impossible not to embed a portion of yourself into the narratives you weave and the personas you construct,” encouraging creators to “embrace this aspect.” This concept aligns well with the influencer marketplace: it’s not strictly factual, but rather a type of artificial genuineness that the online world is already accustomed to managing.
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