Just weeks after crowning a new Miss Universe Belize, Isabella Zabaneh, the franchise is once again in the spotlight.
Last year’s national costume sparked a backlash after Miss Universe Belize 2024, Halima Hoy, wore a costume inspired by the Mayan Deer Dance. The Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM) condemned the move, stating, “No Maya person brought up in their culture would ever put on a Deer Dance mask or clothing outside of the rituals.”
This time around, the franchise finds itself under the microscope once more, this time over the designs for the 2025 national costume. At the centre of the debate is whether some of the top entries in the competition were created using artificial intelligence.
The MUB costume competition opened for public submissions in early July. The top five finalists were revealed on Monday, but several artists and critics quickly pointed out that at least one of the entries showed signs of being generated by artificial intelligence.
Local artist Alex Sanker was among the first to raise concerns. “For me it’s obvious because I’ve been doing this for a long time, but I’m pretty sure like I mentioned, I did a post this morning and I said, AI should not be presented in something like this,” he told News 5. “You have artists that could design these, we’d be doing for decades.”
Critics argue that AI-generated images, while visually striking, often borrow heavily from online datasets, which can result in inaccurate cultural depictions and diminish opportunities for local designers. Others see it as a slippery slope for the creative industry.
The controversy has prompted a larger conversation about cultural ownership, artistic integrity, and the role of technology in pageantry.
One Facebook user stated, “Many of the concept designs presented look AI-generated; if not directly, then likely based on AI references. They do not reflect the richness or identity of our country, and they seem to lack that impactful wow factor.”
The organisation has not yet issued a statement addressing whether AI submissions were permitted under the rules.