Idea Development and Micro Proposal (AI Podcast, not recorded)

TALKING POINTS

SEGMENT	BROAD TOPIC:	SPECIFIC TALKING POINTS:
1	AI influencer	Set the scene, talk a bit about the team Show the picture of Ava, talk about how realistic she is, beauty standards, how idealised she is, created by a man.  Is this ethical? Why an ai not a human? Aftermath
2	Reaction to it on social media, backlash and statement from team, our opinions	Then go into reaction on social media  Backlash  Our opinions on it  The official statement, and killing off the ai What were they thinking?
3	Disregard of f1 content creators and female fans, should have hired an actual female influencer, ai?	So many influencers in motorsport, so many female fans Do they value female fans? The issue  What should be done in the future to help women be represented? Question about ai

FACT SHEET

SEGMENT	TOPIC	RELEVANT FACTS, FIGURES AND QUOTES
1	AI influencer	Mahindra created an ambassador AI made to showcase the teams journey in the ABB FIA formula e championship and towards a more sustainable future. The indian owned team said that Ava would “inteact with drivers and help “shine a light” on their progress in the electric championship. AI named Ava also had an insta where she described herself as a “sustainable tech queen and racing rebel robot” The idea was met with backlash from fans and media alike on social media, with many reckoning the team should have hired a human ambassador rather than generated one via artificial intelligence. "Motorsport companies/teams will do anything but hire actual women," was one typical reaction on Instagram. PR  consultant Devin Alteiri saying its “messed up”. The series has no female race drivers at present but offers a 'Girls on Track' programme for 12 to 18-year-olds with work experience and workshops as well as putting a participant on the podium after every race to highlight female inclusion. also comments about how ts meant to be sustainable bu everything known about it looks like enormous energy use. Mahindra later gave up on that project saying “"Your comments hold tremendous value. We have listened, understood and decided to discontinue the project."
2	Reaction to it on social media, backlash and statement from team, our opinions	Official statement released 2 days after the announcement of Ava, saying they were discontinuing the project ‘Nurturing diversity, inclusion and innovation is at the heart of Mahindra Racing. Our AI influencer program was designed with this innovation in mind. Your comments hold tremendous value. We have listened, understood and decided to discontinue the project’.  Reaction from fans was very negative, they faced a lot of backlash from content creators. Many questioned why they didn’t hire a female influencer instead of have an ai. They were using the power of the female fanbase, without putting in the effort to help that community. The use of ai objectifies women,mahindra dont care about women, just see them as objects that can be replaces by ai. Ai is the ambassador.  Some content creators responses to use as source (irenexsu, kimi, KCtalksF1, Females in Motorsport)
3	Disregard of f1 content creators and female fans, should have hired an actual female influencer, ai?	Female fans of motorsport are a diverse and passionate group, many women enjoy following various racing series, supporting their favourite teams and drivers with enthusiasm. Also female fans bring a unique perspective to motorsport, breaking stereotypes and showcasing their deep knowledge of the sport.They actively engage on social media, attend races. As motorsport has female fans and they are interested in the sport, why don’t they hire female drivers then. Instead of creating an AI female influncer?

MICRO PROPOSAL:

The subject is about the Formula E team Mahindra using an ai to be an ambassador instead of hiring a female. They announced the ai called Ava, saying that she will represent the team's core values and will be 'fuelling inclusion'. The angle we are taking is that we are criticising the move, the use of an ai to replace female talent and imitate the passion of female motorsport fans. We are going to discuss the ai, how it is idealised and objectifies women, as the team decided and ai is a sufficient replacement. We are going to discuss the funny element of ai, but then move on to discussing the subject as a matter of not respecting women and clear sexism. We are going to end with a question like 'will ai steal our jobs?' to round it off and end with a bit of humour and speculation. I think that young women will enjoy this podcast aswell as motorsport fans, its definetly going to be a mixed conversation, and the Mahindra Ai Ava is simply used as a case study, which we discuss and expand on and then reach a conclusion, its talking about the issue of sexism and ai, could they go hand-in-hand.