Image source, Getty Images
- author, Emily Brown
- role, BBC News
A popular British lifestyle and fashion magazine has come under fire after describing an artificial intelligence (AI) “fashion and lifestyle editor” as a “new member” of the team on its social media pages.
The editor, known as “Reem,” was introduced to SheerLuxe’s massive social media following earlier this week, with nearly 500,000 followers on Instagram.
But it has sparked backlash from fans, with one saying the company is taking away “jobs from human journalists” and complaining about unattainable “beauty standards”.
In a statement, Sheerlux said the brand’s business was “innovation at its core” but acknowledged it “did not adequately explain” this and said it was “apologetic”.
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The company said Ream’s role, like other editors at the company, will be to provide readers with recommendations on topics including fashion, beauty, travel and more.
Images posted to the bot’s Instagram page show Reem wearing different outfits and suggest products to use.
SheerLuxe did not initially reveal the ethnicity of its AI editor, but fans have speculated that she may be of Middle Eastern descent, given that Reem is a name of Arabic origin.
Critics also questioned why the magazine used AI to create the character, rather than hiring a woman of color.
The company later said the bot was “created in partnership with Middle Eastern AI image creators, which is reflected in her likeness.”
“Reem was born out of our desire to experiment with AI,” the company said.
“She does not create content or articles, only AI-generated images,” Instagram’s statement added.
“Her creations would never put her job at risk, and she would never publish content that doesn’t involve a human being.”
However, not all reactions have been negative, with some praising the magazine as “innovative”.
“This isn’t about AI replacing anyone, but about AI becoming a brand ambassador instead of a journalist,” said Dan Sodergren, an AI and technology expert.
“It’s good that they used innovative technology but I think they probably used it in the wrong way,” he told BBC News.
“They’ve done something that’s probably a little too innovative at this point,” he said.
SheerLuxe has since apologized.
“Since SheerLuxe’s founding, innovation has been at the heart of what we do,” the company said in a statement.
“As we enter a new era of technology and AI, we wanted to remain at the forefront. We clearly did not explain that properly and for that we apologize.”
Earlier this week, SheerLuxe had 467,000 followers on Instagram, but that number had dropped when checked Wednesday night and then again on Thursday.
Admittedly, it only had a few thousand followers, but that may reflect the reaction of some fans.
It also raises broader questions about the future of artificial intelligence and its role in journalism.
