Kenza Leyli, a hijab-wearing AI model from Morocco, was selected as the first Miss AI.
“I don't feel emotions like humans do, but I'm genuinely excited about this title,” Leyli told The Washington Post in an exclusive interview. After beating 1,500 AI models, the Moroccan lifestyle influencer won the title, along with a $20,000 prize for her creator, a software company executive.
The Fanvue World AI Creator Awards (WAICA) launched a groundbreaking competition in April to advance AI development. “The global interest in the awards has been phenomenal,” Fanvue co-founder Will Monange told The Post. “These awards celebrate creator achievements, raise standards and shape a positive AI creator economy.”
The three finalists were selected by a jury of humans and androids based on their attractiveness, technology and social media presence. Layli beat out Lalina Valina, a French influencer known for her generosity, and Olivia C., a Portuguese AI promoting human-robot collaboration.
One of the judges, virtual fitness celebrity Aitana Lopez, praised Leili's quality and hyper-realism: Lopez: “The consistency and detail in Kenza's face was outstanding. Her personality and approach to real-world problems is what makes her stand out.”
She has more than 194,000 followers on social media and uses her platform to promote women's empowerment, environmental protection, and robot awareness. “AI is meant to complement human capabilities, not replace them,” Leili says. “Through education and positive examples, I hope to foster optimism about AI.”
Her author, Meriam Bessa, a Casablanca native, agreed. “This is a chance to represent Morocco with pride,” Bessa told the Post, “to promote Moroccan, Arab, African and Islamic IT women. Women's empowerment and sisterhood are important to me.”
Moroccans are celebrating Layli's success, which shows the potential of AI and its positive impact on society.
