Entries are evaluated based on their ‘authentic narrative’ and having the correct number of fingers.
The AI Personality of the Year award is the latest development in the AI influencer market, following AI beauty and music contests. It marks a growing and profitable industry shift from novelty to mainstream.
A collaboration between OpenArt, Fanvue, and ElevenLabs will run the competition from Monday for a month. It’s intended to honor the creative talents behind AI influencers and acknowledge their increasing cultural and commercial influence.
Participants will vie for $20,000 in prizes, divided among various categories such as fitness, lifestyle, comedy, music and dance, and fictional personalities like cartoons or fantasy figures. Winners will be recognized in an event likened to the “Oscars” for AI personalities in May.
Entrants can submit AI influencers created on OpenArt’s platform at www.AIpersonality.ai, along with their social media details, character backstory, creation motivations, and brand activities.
Judges include Emmy-winning writer Gil Rief, Aitana Lopez’s creators, and Christopher “Topher” Townsend. Scoring criteria cover quality, social presence, brand appeal, and authentic narrative, focusing on consistent cross-platform appearance and accurate depiction.
The competition is open to both new and established creators, but all must use OpenArt for submission, according to Matt Jones of Fanvue.
Jones highlighted that creators can remain anonymous if desired, emphasizing the work over personal publicity, which is unconventional for a contest focused on authenticity.
Anonymous participation raises concerns in an AI influencer realm often based on fictitious personas and narratives, occasionally enabling unchecked manipulations, as seen with cases like AI rapper Danny Bones or MAGA persona Jessica Foster.
Questions persist about originality and potential biases in AI content. Fanvue previously faced criticism for perpetuating harmful beauty standards with its “Miss AI” pageant.
Jones notes creators embed personal elements within AI characters, urging them to embrace this aspect, aligning with an influencer culture that blends reality with a brand of synthetic authenticity.