Miss England is controversial at the best of times, not least for its now-banned swimwear round.
Each year, models who make it to the semi-finals have to choose categories to compete in to secure a place in the final.
The choices include the Bare Face round, where contestants are judged on their looks without make-up, and the Talent round, in which they showcase a special skill.
Now, the pageant is causing a stir after introducing an AI round – in which contestants have to get as many bookings as they can for an AI-generated version of themselves.
Only three of the competition’s 32 semi-finalists have decided to enter. Many are unsure whether it would help or hinder their chances of winning a place in the final.
As part of the inaugural wildcard AI round, each model will work with a company to create their virtual, AI-generated avatar – and these will then be pitched to brands and agencies.
The model whose avatar secures the most commercial contracts will advance to the contest’s final round.
Jessica Pliskin, a 23-year-old physics masters graduate from the University of Bristol, was one of the three semi-finalists who chose the AI round.
She believes having an avatar will “help her progress” in the industry and she’s excited to watch its digital growth.
“The modelling industry is going to change, but I think that this is something that will help me,” she said.
“It will help me adapt to the industry, rather than trying to avoid it and then get lost.”
Many others in the industry do not share her optimism. Model Harriet Webster said that the use of AI by models was dangerous and erased the real person.
Ms Webster, also a press officer for Mentor Model Agency in Sheffield, said: “These clones take away a model’s personality – I think there’s something quite scary about it.
“Instead of it [modelling] being an inclusive thing, it erases real people.”
She continued: “Creating AI models means there will be less [real] models in the industry – if people are making models through AI, why would they pay real people for work?
“You can see how they would choose it over a real person – it’s a very easy option.”
The semi-finalists this year were able to compete in as many of the nine optional rounds as they wish.
Initially, five contestants chose the AI round, but two withdrew. One reportedly dropped out after friends and family warned them about the dangers of AI.
Angie Beasley, director of Miss England, said the AI round was created to reflect the digital world, build contestants’ digital literacy and offer entrepreneurial avenues.
She said: “[It will] continue the pageant’s progressive evolution, moving from general beauty standards to meaningful, empowering formats.”
The director said the nine rounds were similar year on year – but the most unpopular rounds were “ditched”, such as the swimwear category, which was dropped in 2009 following criticism that it put too much focus on women’s bodies.
Ms Beasley said: “Each round is designed to test a different strength, ensuring the winner is a modern ambassador for England who reflects the Miss World motto ‘beauty with a purpose’.”
Phoebe Michaelides, 27, another Miss England semi-finalist, said she had dropped out of the AI round to focus on a charity-themed category.
“I respect they’re bringing AI into pageantry,” she said. “But it’s in its early stages at the moment and there may be some teething problems there.
“It’s quite early for me to know whether it would be a positive representation of myself, as someone in the early stages of creating a personal brand.
“You hear about deep-fakes and how AI can be used against people.
“I just feel, personally, at the heart of pageantry is authenticity. I want people to connect with me as I am.”
More news stories for Bristol
Watch the latest Points West
Listen to the latest news for Bristol
The Miss England AI round was introduced before an AI model was featured in a Guess advert in the August print edition of US Vogue.
Seraphinne Vallora is the company behind the controversial advert, which makes both AI avatars of real people and AI-created models.
Its founders, Valentina Gonzalez and Andreea Petrescu, said this was “innovation” in action.
“We could never stop progress, and we can never stop innovation,” Ms Gonzalez said.
“Just like the creation of the internet and everything else, we’re going to have to accept it at some point.”
Vogue previously said that it had not made an editorial decision in this case as it was an advert, but declined to respond further.
Guess has been approached by the BBC for comment.
Ms Pliskin, who has been modelling for fouryears, said she worked with AI company MirrorMe for hours to create two short videos, which are being used to make her avatar.
The contestant will also receive business training on how to best market the digital double.
She said MirrorMe “have to ask if they want to use it for anything”.
“We get paid 10% of whatever they get from it,” she said.
“It’s a big thing to sign for sure, but I’m working in the modelling industry now – that’s how I get work.”
‘We are pioneers’
John Allard, the owner of AI company MirrorMe, said he had “a business model that respects talent”.
The contestants taking part in the Miss England AI round will have a reduced fee for the creation of their avatar.
While avatars have been used within the modelling world for some time, the use of AI makes these digital clones appear more lifelike.
“It’s part science and part art,” Mr Allard said. “We know what people should look like and sound like if they’re performing well.
“We sample the model [on video] very closely and then we craft with all the best tools the tone, the voice, the expression – we can control hand gestures, the excitement or tone of the voice – and this is a whole knew form of editing.”
The semi-finalists will hold a contract with both MirrorMe and Miss England for a year – with the remainder of any earnings from booking contracts in this period going to the two companies.
After the year ends, the contestant can either keep on working with MirrorMe or buy the full rights to their avatar account – which are currently shared between the model and the company.
Mr Allard said this arrangement was “typical” and that the appropriate laws were being followed, including GDPR.
He also said the agreement was fair, allowing models to have a “side income alongside the real photography and real video work that they have”.
“This gives them an opportunity to spread their wings, not be exploited, control things and work in partnership – nothing gets out there unless they’re happy with the use of their image,” he continued.
“We are pioneers in a fair, new compliant regulatory model.”
Miss England contestants will have until 3 October, the date of the semi-finals in Wolverhampton, to get as many contracts as possible for their avatar.
Ms Pliskin said: “It’s actually quite a lot of work that you’re doing yourself outside of the competition. It’s two months .
Trade union Equity, which represents models, said it advocated for an artist-centred approach to AI which “safeguards their rights, including intellectual property and copyright”.
It added: “Consent, transparency and fair remuneration for the artists whose image or performance is being used must be at the heart of the approach to AI.”
Once the avatar is created, businesses can use it to promote their brand in multiple languages, across unlimited campaigns, without the need to hire other workers, including lighting experts, make-up artists or camera crews
Media and entertainment trade union Bectu said models were not the only workers affected by AI.
Philippa Childs, head of Bectu, said: “It is hard to see how using this technology will not have a significant detriment to other fashion creatives and industry workers, from make-up and hair, to rigging and lights.”
cannabis shipping usa nationwide secure and discreet
UFC White House Ticket https://ufc-white-house.com
Reading this gave me a small framework I expect to use going forward, and a stop at joustglade extended that framework, content that produces transferable mental models rather than just specific facts is content with multiplicative value and this site is providing those models at a rate that justifies extra attention from me regularly.
Honest reaction is that I want to send this to a friend who would benefit from it, and a look at mistvendor added more material I will pass along too, the impulse to share is the strongest signal I have for content quality and this site is generating that impulse cleanly across multiple posts.
Worth your time, that is the simplest endorsement I can give, and a stop at gallohex extends that endorsement across the rest of the site, this is one of those increasingly rare places that delivers on what it promises rather than over selling the content and under delivering on substance every time which I find frustrating elsewhere.
Most of the time I feel the open web is in decline and then I find a site like this, and a stop at maplegrovemarketparlor reinforced that mood lift, the cumulative effect of finding occasional excellent independent content versus the cumulative effect of finding mostly mediocre content is real for the long term reader maintaining web habits today.
Reading this gave me a small mental break from the heavier reading I had been doing, and a stop at thoughtfulcommerceplatform extended that lighter feel, content that provides relief without becoming trivial is harder to produce than people realise and this site has clearly figured out how to be light without being shallow at all.
Honest opinion is that this is the kind of post that builds long term trust with readers, and a look at helmkit reinforced that perception, the slow accumulation of trust through consistent quality is the only sustainable way to build a real audience and this site is clearly playing that long game.
Saving this link for the next time someone asks me about this topic, and a look at grovefalcon expanded what I will be sharing with them, this is the kind of resource that makes a real difference when you are trying to point a friend to something useful and reliable rather than generic marketing pages.
A piece that prompted a small mental rearrangement of how I order related ideas, and a look at flumelake extended that rearranging effect, content that affects the structure of my thinking rather than just adding to it is content with the deepest kind of impact and this site is reaching that depth for me today.
Granted I am giving this site more credit than I usually give new finds, and a look at gnarkit continued earning that credit, the calibration of how much trust to extend after limited exposure is something I do carefully and this site has earned more trust on shorter exposure than most due to consistent quality across.
Different feel from the algorithmically optimised posts that dominate the topic, and a stop at iconflank reinforced that human touch, you can tell when a site is being run by someone who reads what they publish versus someone just hitting submit and moving on quickly to the next assignment without checking the result.
Looking back on this reading session it stands as one of the better ones recently, and a look at flankivory extended that ranking, the informal ranking of reading sessions against each other is something I do mentally and this session ranks high largely because of this site and a couple of related pages here.
Now planning to recommend this site in a context where my recommendations are taken seriously, and a stop at fawnetch confirmed I should make that recommendation soon, the small but real act of recommending content into spaces where my taste matters is something I take seriously and this site is worth the recommendation.
More original than the recycled takes I keep finding on the topic elsewhere, and a quick look at iciclemart confirmed it, the kind of site that has its own voice rather than echoing whatever is trending which makes it stand out as a refreshing change from the usual rotation of generic content I see daily.
Pass this along to anyone you know dealing with similar questions, the answers here are clear, and a stop at clevergoodszone adds even more useful material, this is the kind of resource that deserves to circulate widely rather than getting lost in the constant churn of new content online that buries good work daily.
Genuinely good work, the kind that holds up over multiple readings without losing its appeal, and a stop at gambitfort kept that going, definitely a site I will be returning to and probably mentioning to others who work in or care about this particular area of interest today and in coming weeks.
Bookmark added with a small note about why, and a look at honeymarket prompted another bookmark with another note, the bookmarks I annotate are the ones I expect to return to deliberately rather than stumble into and this site is generating annotated bookmarks at a higher rate than my usual content sources by some margin.
Worth recognising that this site does not chase the daily news cycle, and a stop at foilfrost confirmed the longer publication arc, sites that resist the pressure to comment on every passing event are sites with genuine editorial discipline and this one has clearly chosen depth over volume which I respect deeply.
Spent a few minutes here and came away with a clearer picture of the topic, the writing keeps things simple without dumbing them down, and after a stop at globalculturemarket the rest of the points lined up neatly which is something I appreciate when I am short on time and need answers fast.
Generally I am cautious about recommending sites on first encounter but this one warrants the exception, and a look at baznora reinforced the exception making, the rare site that justifies breaking my normal cautious approach is the rare site worth flagging early and this one has prompted exactly that early flagging response from me.
Worth pointing out that the post avoided the temptation to summarise everything at the end, and a look at gulfkoala continued that confident closing approach, content that trusts readers to retain the substance without being reminded of it at the end is content that respects the reader and this site practices that respect.
Honest take is that I will probably forget most of what I read online today but this post is one I will remember, and a stop at molzino kept that same memorable quality going, certain writing leaves a residue in the mind in a way most content simply does not manage.
Reading this gave me a small framework I expect to use going forward, and a stop at mapleaisle extended that framework, content that produces transferable mental models rather than just specific facts is content with multiplicative value and this site is providing those models at a rate that justifies extra attention from me regularly.
A piece that demonstrated competence without performing it, and a look at shoprova maintained the same self assured but unshowy register, the gap between competence and performance of competence is one I track and this site has clearly chosen to demonstrate rather than perform which I find much more persuasive as a reader.
Appreciate the work that went into laying this out so clearly, every section earns its place without filler, and a look at qavlizo confirmed the same care, definitely the kind of place that deserves a return visit when the topic comes up again later in the future or for any related question.
A piece that exhibited the kind of patience that good writing requires, and a look at dealzaro continued that patient quality, hurried writing is easy to spot and this site reads as having been written without time pressure which produces a different feel than the rushed content that dominates much of the modern blog space.
Now appreciating the small but real way this post improved my afternoon, and a stop at clockbrace extended that small improvement effect, content that produces measurable positive impact on the texture of a reading day is content with real value and this site is producing those small positive impacts at a sustainable rate apparently.
A piece that built up gradually rather than front loading its main points, and a look at gapjumbo maintained the same gradual structure, content that trusts the reader to reach conclusions through accumulating reasoning is more persuasive than content that announces conclusions and then defends them and this site uses the persuasive approach.
Picked up on several small touches that suggest a careful editor, and a look at lorzavi suggested the same hand at work across the broader site, editorial consistency at a granular level is one of the strongest signs that an operation is serious rather than just hobbyist and this site reads as serious throughout.
Reading this confirmed something I had been suspecting about the topic, and a look at urbanso pushed that confirmation toward greater confidence, content that lines up with independently held intuitions earns a special kind of trust and I will return to writers who consistently land that way for me without overselling positions.
Really like that the writer trusts the reader to follow simple logic without restating every previous point, and a stop at easybuyingcorner kept that respect going, treating an audience as capable adults rather than as people who need constant hand holding makes a noticeable difference in the reading experience for me.
Glad the writer kept this short rather than padding it out, the points stand on their own without needing extra context, and a look at vuzmixo kept the same approach going, brevity is a sign of confidence in the substance and the team here clearly trusts their content to land without filler.
Now adding the writer to a small mental list of voices I want to follow, and a look at ironfleet reinforced that follow intention, the few writers whose work I actively track are writers who have demonstrated sustained quality and this writer has clearly demonstrated that sustained quality across the pieces I have sampled here today.
Just sat back at the end of the post and felt grateful that someone took the time to write it, and a look at mexqiro extended that gratitude across more of the site, recognising effort behind quality work is part of what makes the open web a community rather than just a marketplace today.
Just want to say thank you for putting this together, posts like these make searching online actually worth it sometimes, and a quick look at herongrip kept that going, useful and easy to read without any of the tricks that ruin most blog comment sections lately on the wider open web.
My time on this site has now extended past what I had budgeted, and a stop at freshcartoptions keeps extending it further, content that overstays its budget in my schedule is content that has earned the extra time and this site has been earning extra time across multiple visits to the point where my schedule needs adjustment.
Worth recognising the specific care that went into how this post ended, and a look at buymixo maintained the same careful conclusions, endings are where most blog content falls apart and this site has clearly invested in the closing stretches of its pieces rather than letting them simply trail off when energy fades.
If you asked me to point to a recent positive sign for the open web this site would be near the top, and a stop at fairvendor reinforced that designation, the few sites that serve as evidence the web can still produce quality independent content are precious and this one has clearly become one for me.