SheerLuxe: Fashion magazine sparks backlash after introducing AI ‘Arab’ woman as editor
A British fashion and lifestyle magazine found itself in the middle of a social media storm after introducing an AI with an Arabic name and appearance as their newest “editor” this week.
SheerLuxe shared pictures of Reem, who they said was an “AI enhanced team member” on their Instagram page in a post that included a “selfie” of the AI with the editor-in-chief, an outfit of the day snapshot complete tagged brandnames, Reem’s “lunch”, and a peek at the contents of “her” purse and desk setup.
The online publication came under fierce criticism from its audience, who questioned the ethics of “hiring” an AI staff member in a period when journalists and other media professionals face threats to their livelihoods due to the technology.
They also expressed frustration at what they said was a deliberate choice to use the name and likeness of a woman of colour in an industry where they are already underrepresented.
"This is incredibly weird and also insulting. It’s essentially taking away a job from an Arab woman when we are already under-represented and/or misrepresented in the media," commented one user under SheerLuxe's post.
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Although the company did not release a statement about the ethnicity of the AI, the name Reem is Arabic and is commonly used throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
Another user on Instagram said: "This is not it. Instead of hiring an actual woman of colour or a plus size woman, you’ve made a virtual one? Disappointing."
Several commenters also said that the introduction of a “perfect” AI character sharing beauty and fashion tips was harmful to women and perpetuated “unachievable" beauty standards.
The outpouring of critical comments about the AI forced the company to post an apology on their account, in which they defended their decision, and said their audience misunderstood the concept behind the Reem bot.
“Reem was born entirely from our desire to experiment with AI, not to replace a human role,” the company said in their statement, which had the comments feature disabled.
“Her opinions and choices come directly from the diverse team we are so proud of at SheerLuxe. No jobs were compromised in any way as a result of her creation.”
The magazine also addressed why Reem had an Arabic name and likeness, explaining that it was designed with an AI image creator from the Middle East.
Middle East Eye reached out to SheerLuxe for comment, and was redirected to their Instagram statement.
Some members of the audience found the statement inadequate.
"Just read your apology for this (the one which you disabled comments on interestingly?).... 'We didn’t explain it right' isn’t an apology,” said one user. “Educate yourselves and be better. Don’t try to excuse it and silence it.
"Leaving aside the fact that selecting an impossibly beautiful fake diverse hire is in awful taste - why put your journalists at risk like this?” questioned another.
“The whole point is your team has something an AI doesn’t - human taste and individuality. That should be protected right now. Sheerluxe seems to have become all about the money lately. Really disappointing."
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