Fashion Publication SheerLuxe Slammed For Woman of Color AI 'Team Member'

Online fashion and lifestyle publication SheerLuxe has been facing backlash after introducing their newest employee—an "AI-enhanced team member" named Reem, modeled after an Arab woman.

Announcing their controversial choice to "hire" an AI bot as fashion and lifestyle editor on Instagram, the SheerLuxe team shared a photo dump of "day one" in the SL office— including desk setups, outfit of the day (OOTD), a look at her 'lunch' and even a 'selfie' with the publication's editor-in-chief, Charlotte Collins.

The SL team also shared a link to Reem's Instagram page and included a link to a full "interview" with the AI bot, in which she details her favorite stores, skin care routine and handbag essentials.

The internet had a LOT to say about the shock announcement, which came in the same week the first-ever AI beauty queen was crowned. While some applauded the innovation, the majority couldn't help but question the ethics behind the publication's "new hire".

Is AI threatening the jobs of young creatives and minorities?

The media industry is already facing threats, with young creatives struggling to get their start in journalism globally. The decision to bypass fresh talent in favor of a bot caused writers and creatives to lash out in the comments section, with one user pointing out how the decision to "hire" an AI employee puts their own staff at risk.

The consensus was summarized by one user, who wrote: "This is taking jobs away from hardworking journalists but also is a slap in the face for people of colour."

Another user wrote, "Leaving aside the fact that selecting an impossibly beautiful fake diverse hire is in awful taste - why put your journalists at risk like this? The whole point is your team have 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. As a writer I'll be unfollowing SL, I thought you stood for more."

The belief that the bot has taken the job role of from a human isn't the only factor that caused uproar; her design was also ridiculed—a beautiful, skinny, ethnically ambiguous woman of color during a time when there is so much discourse about both unrealistic beauty standards and also lack of diversity in the media industry.

People of color are hugely underrepresented in the media landscape and, in the U.K., where SL is based, with Reuters reporting in 2023 that people of color make up just 6 percent of those in top editorial positions. It's not the first time the publication has come under fire for lack of diversity either, as one user highlighted in her comment: "Just when I thought you have turned a corner at addressing your obvious diversity issues you go a pull a stunt like this.

"There is nothing innovative about having a huge disparity when it comes to your hires. You aren't a tech geared business so this is the silliest angle you'd want to take and ok, you create an AI diverse bot, powered by whom???? Skittles for brains. Just hire ethnically diverse people with the skills to do the job already, if you needed help spelling it out!"

Another commented on how the bot is likely being run by white women, as is the demographic that makes up the majority of SL's team, as they wrote, "ChatGPT please make the most perfect Arab looking woman, with the perfect brown skin and call her Reem". But don't worry we will control the brown girls narrative instead of hiring one."

Nadja Bellan-White, chief executive of SS+K, commented to Newsweek, "SheerLuxe's decision is deeply concerning. While innovation in AI holds potential, it is crucial to consider the broader implications. The decision to model the bot after an 'Arab' woman, despite being created by a Saudi woman, raises questions about representation and authenticity.

"As an industry, it's essential that we champion real voices and diverse perspectives, rather than relying on artificial substitutes that can perpetuate biases."

Beyond race, physicality was also brought into play due to the lack of body representation in SL's choice to create a straight-sized, conventionally "pretty" bot.

"Come on. This AI 'member of staff' was created exactly how you wanted her to look and you STILL couldn't make her larger than a size 8?" added a social media manager. "Very very telling. Plus-sized girlies are not - and have never been - welcome at SL!"

Sheer Luxe's Response

The initial post had left many feeling confused as to—or rather what—Reem is, as one user vocalized: "A lot of – understandable – anger in the comments here but I think it would help if you could state plainly what exactly 'AI-enhanced' means? Do you mean AI-generated, as in all the imagery of 'Reem' is not real? Or is a model posing as Reem, and AI is answering the questions in the online Q&A?

"If this is an experiment it's one that's clearly making a lot of women, and particularly women of colour, very uncomfortable, and you need to stop with the ambiguity and explain exactly what you're doing and hoping to achieve."

To give some further insight into the launch of Reem, SL's founder and CEO Georgia Coleridge Cole headed to Instagram at around 7 p.m. on June 16, sharing a video to the publication's stories as she explained:" Today, we launched our AI-assisted, virtually created new SheerLuxe contributor Reem, and let's just say our followers have been quite vocal on what they think about her.

"I have to add that she was created by a Saudi woman who actually approached us and said that she had created a bot and could she contribute to Sheer Luxe? And I have been going on to Mia [Luckie, the brand's marketing director] for quite a while about creating an AI bot contributor - basically experimenting with this new world, this new AI revolution era that we're going into."

Cole also took the opportunity to reassure SL's audience that Reem would not be taking a job away from a real person, as she continued, "No one's been made redundant, we're still hiring. She is powered by probably around eight of the SheerLuxe team so there's a lot of work that goes into her."

Coleridge finished by adding, "But, who knows what the future of AI and bots looks like, but we didn't get to where we are with following the crowd.... It's a bit of an experiment, we'll see what happens. I think its quite exciting - it give us new editorial spin. She's got a sort of persona and character we can follow and be true to and hopefully people might like what they see and like her recommendations."

Whilst the response was intended to fight the fire, it added fuel for some, as one user wrote, "No one is saying you shouldn't innovate. The courageous and respectable thing to do now would be to admit your mistake, move in quickly, and LEARN from the amazingly eloquent and 'vocal' women in this comments section. Georgie haughtily doubling down on IG gave me the ick all over again."

The Instagram story was deleted by Sheer Luxe just 18 hours later.

July 17, the team shared a single post to their Instagram, @sheerluxe, writing they'd be taking a "duvet day" as they decided their next move. The caption read, "SL are taking a duvet day today to unwind, switch off & maybe stay in bed! We'll be back in your inbox tomorrow..."

Later evening, the publication shared the following statement with its followers and press:

"Since the start of SheerLuxe, innovation has been central to what we do - and as we enter a new era of tech and AI, we wanted to stay at the forefront so as you'll likely know, we introduced Reem yesterday. It is clear we didn't explain it properly and we're sorry.

"Reem was born entirely from our desire to experiment with AI, not to replace a human role. She was created in partnership with an AI imagery creator from the Middle East and that is reflected in her likeness. She is an AI generated image only, and is not able to create content or articles. 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 and we would never publish any content that hasn't had human involvement - AI is only a tool.

"We'll keep innovating and, as ever, are always keen to hear from people - we are listening and in future we will explain such newness better to our readers."

Whilst many are still uncertain as to exactly how Reem will be used by the publication, it seems to be business as usual for now, with the SheerLuxe Instagram account posting as normal today.