Is Miss England's AI round dangerous or progressive?

Miss England is a well-known beauty pageant in England, and every year, contestants compete in different rounds to win a place in the finals. This year, the competition introduced a new and controversial round: the AI round. In this round, contestants create a digital version of themselves, called an avatar, using artificial intelligence. The goal is to get as many bookings as possible for their AI avatar from brands and agencies. Only three out of thirty-two semi-finalists chose to participate in this new round, while others were unsure if it would help or hurt their chances of winning.

Jessica Pliskin, a 23-year-old physics graduate from the University of Bristol, is one of the three contestants who decided to enter the AI round. She believes that having an AI avatar will help her adapt to changes in the modeling industry. Jessica worked with a company called MirrorMe to create her avatar by recording videos in a special room with bright lights and a green screen. She thinks this experience will help her stay ahead in the industry, which is becoming more digital. Jessica says, 'The modeling industry is going to change, but I think this is something that will help me. '

However, not everyone is excited about the AI round. Harriet Webster, a model and press officer for Mentor Model Agency, thinks using AI is dangerous because it erases the real person. She says, 'These clones take away a model's personality – I think there's something quite scary about it. ' Harriet worries that if companies start using AI models, they might stop hiring real people, which could hurt the industry. Another semi-finalist, Phoebe Michaelides, decided to drop out of the AI round to focus on a charity-themed category. Phoebe says, 'I respect they're bringing AI into pageantry, but it's in its early stages and there may be some problems. ' She believes that authenticity is important in pageants and wants people to connect with her as she really is.

The director of Miss England, Angie Beasley, says the AI round was created to reflect the digital world and help contestants build digital skills. She believes it offers new opportunities for contestants to earn money and be more entrepreneurial. Angie says, 'Each round is designed to test a different strength, ensuring the winner is a modern ambassador for England. ' The contest used to have a swimwear round, but it was removed in 2009 after criticism that it focused too much on women's bodies. Now, contestants can choose which of the nine optional rounds they want to compete in.

The company behind the AI avatars, MirrorMe, says they want to treat models fairly. Contestants get paid a percentage of the money their avatar earns, and after a year, they can choose to keep working with MirrorMe or buy the full rights to their avatar. John Allard, the owner of MirrorMe, says, 'This gives them an opportunity to spread their wings, not be exploited, control things and work in partnership. '

Some people are concerned that AI avatars could take jobs away from real people, like makeup artists and camera crews. Trade unions say that artists should have control over their images and be paid fairly. They also worry that using AI could hurt other workers in the fashion industry.

Jessica Pliskin is working hard to get as many contracts as possible for her avatar before the semi-finals in October. She hopes the new AI round will help her career, but the debate continues about whether AI in modeling is a positive or negative change. Some see it as an exciting innovation, while others fear it could be dangerous and take away real jobs.