Stable Diffusion is one of many AI models that generate images in response to written prompts. While the generated images may initially appear realistic, they distort reality by magnifying racial and gender disparities to an even greater extent than what exists in the real world. This distortion becomes increasingly significant as text-to-image AI models transition from creative outlets to the foundation of the future economy.
The prevalence of text-to-image AI is expanding rapidly, with applications emerging in various industries. Major players like Adobe Inc. and Nvidia Corp. are already utilizing this technology, and it is even making its way into advertisements. Notably, the Republican National Committee used AI-generated images in an anti-Biden political ad, which depicted a group of primarily white border agents apprehending individuals labeled as "illegals." While the video appeared real, it was no more authentic than an animation, yet it reached close to a million people on social media.
Experts in generative AI predict that up to 90% of internet content could be artificially generated within a few years. As these AI tools become more prevalent, they not only perpetuate stereotypes that hinder progress toward equality but also pose the risk of facilitating unfair treatment. One concerning example is the potential use of biased text-to-image AI in law enforcement to create sketches of suspects, which could lead to wrongful convictions.
Sasha Luccioni, a research scientist at the AI startup Hugging Face, highlights the problem of projecting a single worldview instead of representing diverse cultures and visual identities. It is crucial to examine the magnitude of biases in generative AI models like Stable Diffusion to address these concerns.
To understand the extent of biases, Bloomberg conducted an analysis using Stable Diffusion. The study involved generating thousands of images related to job titles and crime, and the results were alarming. For high-paying jobs, the AI model predominantly generated images of individuals with lighter skin tones, reinforcing racial disparities. Furthermore, the generated images were heavily skewed towards males, with women significantly underrepresented in high-paying occupations.
The biases were particularly pronounced when considering gender and skin tone simultaneously. Men with lighter skin tones were overrepresented in every high-paying occupation, including positions like "politician," "lawyer," "judge," and "CEO." Conversely, women with darker skin tones were predominantly depicted in low-paying jobs such as "social worker," "fast-food worker," and "dishwasher-worker." This portrayal created a skewed image of the world, associating certain occupations with specific groups of people.
Stable AI, the distributor of Stable Diffusion, acknowledges that AI models inherently reflect the biases present in the datasets used to train them. However, the company intends to mitigate biases by developing open-source models trained on datasets specific to different countries and cultures. The goal is to address overrepresentation in general datasets and improve bias evaluation techniques.
The impact of biased AI extends beyond visual representation. It can have profound educational and professional consequences, particularly for Black and Brown women and girls. Heather Hiles, chair of Black Girls Code, emphasizes that individuals learn from seeing themselves represented, and the absence of such representation may lead them to feel excluded. This exclusion, reinforced through biased images, can create significant barriers.
Moreover, AI systems have been previously criticized for discriminating against Black women. Commercial facial-recognition products and search algorithms frequently misidentify and underrepresent them, further emphasizing the need to tackle these biases at their root.
The issue of biased AI models has caught the attention of lawmakers and regulators. European Union legislators are currently discussing proposals to introduce safeguards against AI bias, while the United States Senate has held hearings to address the risks associated with AI technologies and the necessity of regulation. These efforts aim to ensure that AI technologies are developed with ethical considerations and transparency in mind.
As the market for generative AI models continues to grow, the need for ethical and unbiased AI becomes increasingly urgent. The potential impact on society and the economy is immense, and failure to address these biases could hinder progress toward a more equitable future. It is imperative that AI developers, regulators, and society as a whole work together to mitigate biases, promote diversity, and shape AI technologies that benefit everyone.
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by Ayesha Hasnain via Digital Information World
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