Suffice it to say, the creative industry is seeing a steady increase in the use of artificial intelligence. From conversational AI like ChatGPT to image-generating platforms and even AI sportscasters, the advent of AI is causing a seismic shift in the media landscape.
Just recently, British online magazine SheerLuxe drew attention after introducing their new lifestyle and fashion editor: a fully AI-enhanced bot named Reem. Since then, netizens have raised concerns regarding the future of journalism, as well as its implications on beauty standards.
About SheerLuxe
SheerLuxe is a digital fashion and lifestyle magazine based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 2007, the publication first began as an online directory of fashion retailers after eventually becoming a fashion and lifestyle media outlet. Based on their official website, SheerLuxe covers "everything from fashion and beauty to culture and opinion" across multiple platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
LOOK: SheerLuxe Introduces Their Fully AI-Enhanced Lifestyle and Fashion Editor, Reem
On July 16, Tuesday, SheerLuxe welcomed their new AI-powered lifestyle and fashion editor. "We’re thrilled to introduce our new AI enhanced team member Reem," the magazine wrote in an Instagram post.
The announcement includes a series of photos depicting Reem's "first day" at the SheerLuxe office. The carousel post includes images of Reem sitting alongside editor-in-chief Charlotte Collins, a polaroid headshot with the team, a mirror selfie wearing a pink Mint Velvet waistcoat set, her work desk, and even a snap of her "go-to" lunch order: a chicken salad.
They've even set up an Instagram profile for Reem. Her latest post, dated July 31, shows her sitting at a winery, dressed in gold foil jeans and a white tee that reads "Save Reem." Her caption even says, "Two weeks in the wilderness, do I stay or do I go?"
Netizens React to SheerLuxe's New AI-Enhanced Lifestyle and Fashion Editor, Reem
SheerLuxe's AI-enhanceed lifestyle and fashion editor wasn't received too well by netizens. In the days following the announcement, users were quick to air their sentiments, citing concerns regarding its ethicality and implications on journalism at large. "There is an abundance of real human women looking for jobs in fashion journalism and yet this is how SheerLuxe [opts] to use their resources," one person lamented. Another user even described it as a "hilarious dystopian nightmare."
Reem's physical traits and ethnic ambiguity have also sparked a conversation on representation and beauty standards, with netizens saying that her slim physique and conventionally attractive features only peddle unrealistic beauty standards.
Users also decried how SheerLuxe sought to humanize their AI editor, referencing the seemingly mundane "day in my life" photos of Reem's "first day." "Normalising the humanising of AI with unobtainable beauty standards and 'lifestyle' habits is unethical and will inevitably have a disastrous impact on everyone's mental health," they wrote.
SheerLuxe Issues a Statement on Their AI-Enhanced Lifestyle and Fashion Editor
A day after introducing Reem to their readers, SheerLuxe published an explanatory note addressing the string of comments coming from netizens. The magazine prefaced the statement by saying, "Since the start of SheerLuxe, innovation has been central to what we do-and as we enter this new era of tech and AI, we wanted to stay at the forefront."
SheerLuxe clarified that Reem was not meant to replace humans in their workforce. "No jobs were compromised in any way as a result of her creation and we would never publish any content that hasn't had any 'human' involvement," the publication wrote. They also addressed comments regarding Reem's physical features, noting that she was created in partnership with a Middle East-based AI imagery creator which has since "reflected in her likeness."
What do you think about this AI integration? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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