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| Team Kenya Olympic |
Team Kenya Olympic kits generated by artificial intelligence (AI) have reignited the outrage over Nike’s design. Kenyans were unimpressed by the Olympics kit design.How does Kenya’s Olympic kit look like? Shared via X by @SamNato, the kits were redesigned by Copilot AI. They feature emblems and bold silhouettes of the Kenyan flag. They are custom-fit with a distinct palette of classic red, white and green, dissimilar to a splatter design that Nike unveiled in April to be used in Paris. The AI redesign was unveiled soon after CS Ababu Namwamba showased Kenya’s ceremonial kit which a large section of Kenyans said was lacklustre. In contrast, Kenya’s Olympic kit is wholly designed by Nike but the ceremonial kit was picked as the winner from a competition organised by CS Namwamba’s Talanta Hela initiative. Its designer pocketed KSh 300,000, the first runners-up KSh 200,000 and the second runners-up KSh 100,000. According to social media users, the overwhelming positive reaction to the AI design was proof enough that Nike’s Paris kits missed the mark. @jamessmat: “While we are very busy repairing the Kenyan image, some saboteurs, enemies of the people, did this. What in the hideousness is this? Who’s responsible?” @Steven_Ortice: “No one is responsible for the designs but Nike. Again, it’s good to do some research instead of just looking for engagement.” @kiruik: “A design generated using AI is not the solution to the Kenyan Olympics kit. We have so many talented designers.” @mitchretoucher: “This is something I can buy.” @dennis_kachila: “The fourth frame is fire, we just replace the logo with our shield! A five-minute job instead of paying someone 300k to design. Surely!” @Mwangale_II: “Seems a government by AI would do much better than this one.” @TheGameTheory_: “Surprised they use AI to make speeches for the president but never consider it for such beautiful arts.” Why is Namwamba under fire? Namwamba is this week also under scrutiny over the delegation heading to the Paris Olympics. He has been served with a demand letter by three concerned citizens directing him to make public the delegates’ names. The three want the CS to also provide the delegates’ roles, schedule of allowances and sustenance costs for each. They raised concerns about the true cost of the delegation and warned of a suit should CS Namwamba not abide within seven days.
