Google Responds to Criticism, Vows to Address ‘Woke’ Concerns in AI Picture Bot

Google is scrambling to address concerns surrounding its new AI Picture Bot image creation tool, Gemini, following criticism that it’s excessively avoiding potential racial bias.

Users have reported that Gemini is supplying images depicting a diverse range of genders and ethnicities, even in situations where such representations are historically inaccurate. For instance, requests for images of America’s founding fathers yielded results featuring women and people of color.

“Gemini’s AI image generation does generate a wide range of people. And that’s generally a good thing because people around the world use it. But it’s missing the mark here,” said Jack Krawczyk, senior director for Gemini Experiences.

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This isn’t the first time AI technology has faced scrutiny over diversity concerns. Google previously faced backlash when its photos app mislabeled a photo of a black couple as “gorillas.” Similarly, OpenAI came under fire for perpetuating stereotypes with its Dall-E image generator.

Google’s latest version of Gemini, released last week, allows users to generate images based on written prompts. However, it quickly drew criticism for allegedly being overly “woke” and ignoring certain demographics.

Computer scientist Debarghya Das expressed frustration, stating, “It’s embarrassingly hard to get Google Gemini to acknowledge that white people exist.” Others, like author Frank J. Fleming, echoed concerns about the tool’s accuracy, particularly when requesting images such as Vikings.

These criticisms gained traction in right-wing circles in the US, where there’s already heightened scrutiny over alleged liberal bias in big tech platforms.

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The company’s swift action underscores its dedication to addressing concerns and ensuring its products reflect the diversity of its global user base.

“It’s embarrassingly hard to get Google Gemini to acknowledge that white people exist,” computer scientist Debarghya Das, wrote.

“Come on,” Frank J Fleming, an author and humourist who writes for outlets including the right-wing PJ Media, in response to the results he received asking for an image of a Viking.

The claims picked up speed in right-wing circles in the US, where many big tech platforms are already facing backlash for alleged liberal bias.

Mr Krawczyk said the company took representation and bias seriously and wanted its results to reflect its global user base.

“Historical contexts have more nuance to them and we will further tune to accommodate that,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, where users were sharing the dubious results they had received.

“This is part of the alignment process – iteration on feedback. Thank you and keep it coming!”