Google is working quickly to address issues with its new AI-powered tool for generating images after concerns were raised about potential racial bias. Users reported that the Gemini bot was providing images of various genders and ethnicities, even when historically inaccurate. For example, when asked for images of America’s founding fathers, the tool displayed women and people of color. Google acknowledged that the tool was “missing the mark” and stated that they are working to improve these depictions.
Google has temporarily suspended the tool’s ability to generate images of people while they work on a fix. This is not the first time AI technology has faced criticism for issues related to diversity. Google previously had to apologize for labeling a photo of a black couple as “gorillas” in its photos app. Another AI firm, OpenAI, was accused of perpetuating harmful stereotypes in its image generator results.
Despite pressure to stay ahead in AI development, Google released its latest version of Gemini last week, which creates images in response to written queries. However, critics quickly pointed out issues with the tool, accusing Google of training it to be overly sensitive to diversity concerns. Google’s senior director for Gemini Experiences emphasized that the company takes representation and bias seriously and is committed to improving the tool based on user feedback.
Overall, Google is working to address concerns about racial bias in its AI image generation tool and is committed to making improvements to ensure accurate and inclusive results.
